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THE PRIVATE STABLE 

OPINIONS REGARDING THE FIRST EDITION 



Turf, Field, and Farm. 

" The horses, the harness, the equipages, the grooms, and every- 
thing else necessary to equip a private stable come under intelligent 
discussion. . . . It is a book which should be in demand. . . ." 

Review of Reviews. 

"... Everything that needs to be known for the successful estab- 
lishment and management of a private stable seems to be contained 
between the covers of this excellent manual. . . ." 

Mail and Express. 

"... The touch of the master of his subject is discernable on 
every page of this book. . . ." 

New York World. 
" . . . It is a treasure-house of valuable and accurate information." 

Boston Transcript. 

" Lovers and owners of horses will find in ' The Private Stable : Its 
Establishment, Management, and Appointments ' a work which has 
been long and sorely needed, and one whose value as an adviser on 
all points connected with horses, their proper care, grooming, and 
training, cannot be overestimated. . . ." 

Rider and Driver. 

"... These and many other subjects are covered in a most com- 
prehensive and masterly style, and it is our pleasure to say that we 
heartily indorse the work as one of the best that has come to our 
attention." 

Philadelphia Ledger. 

" . . . It is a manual that will be of real service alike to the owners 
of good stables and to all who have to do with their care and manage- 
ment. . . , Altogether, the book is to be commended as a useful 
work for practical purposes, and directly to the purpose set forth on 
its title-page." 



THE PRIVATE STABLE. 



New York Tribune. 

" . . . It is a good book, well done in every respect. . . ." 

Providence Sunday J^ourtiaL 

"... The novice who studies this book with care and follows its 
teachings can feel confident that his equipages are all turned out in 
the perfection of the latest fashion. . . ." 

Boston Daily Advertiser. 

" . . . ' The Private Stable ' is the most attractive, comprehensive, 
and conveniently arranged book on the subject that we have ever 
seen — and we have seen a good many. It would be difficult to find 
anywhere else all the information which is here accessible, with the 
aid of a most excellent index ; and it would be equally difficult to 
name any point on which a private horse owner would be likely to 
want to inform himself which is not here elucidated." 

Philadelphia Evening Telegram. 

" One of the best-known horsemen in New England has contributed 
a most valuable addition to the many volumes now in existence con- 
cerning the care, equipment, and treatment of horses. Filled with 
numerous illustrations, the present book is just what has been needed 
for a long time as a book of reference, both for the owner and the 
stableman. . . ." 

Chicago Evening Post. 

" . . . His book, dealing with the essential facts thus gleaned, 
becomes at once the reference work that should be of great value to 
novices in setting up stables, and an educator of progressive stable 
employes. Every detail of stable life is so thoroughly covered in 
this book that it might be said nothing of importance has been 
overlooked. . . ." 

Cleveland Plaiti Dealer. 

"... Everything in regard to the stable, horses, carriages, coach- 
men, stablemen, harness, feed, etc., has been looked after, down to 
the smallest detail, and thoroughly illustrated. The illustrations, as 
well as the text, are all practical ; they are not ' embellishments,' but 
genuine ' illustrations ' of the text. A good index completes the 
usefulness of the work. 

"... As a manual of practical information, its value is unques- 
tionable." 



The Private Stable 

Its Establishment^ Management 
and Appointments 

By James A. Garland 



New Edition. With additional chapters on Hunters and Hunting by 

Harry W. Smith \ Exhibiting, by Francis M. Ware ; Hints on 

Driving, supplemented with notes on Tandem and 

Four-In-Hand Driving, by Frederick Ashenden ; 

Riding and Driving for Women, by 

Miss Belle Beach ; Observations 

on Riding, by T. C. P. 

of Toronto 



Illustrated 






ci^^^ 



Boston 

Little, Brown, and Company 

1903 



CON6R€SS> 

Two C0P4Ee RE0G4VCO 

Cri«M»WMT twTwr 

J^Ce^. ri, /<^pT- 

DLAM '^XXft No. 

u- r 1 -^ ^ 
conr B. 



Copyright, 1899, 1902, 
By Little, Brown, and Company. 

A II rights reserzied. 



Pkcssvvokk bv 
The University Press, Cambridge, U.S.A. 



Sons 



NOTE. 

The author desires to acknowledge his indebtedness to those who 
have so generously given their time and aid in supplying photographs 
or the plates from which some of the illustrations have been made. 
Among those to whom he is under the greatest obligations are Messrs. 
Brewster & Co., the late Mr. C. F. Bates, Mr. F. F. French, Messrs. 
Moseman & Brother, Messrs. Martin & Martin, Messrs. MarkVV. Cross 
.& Co., Messrs. Rogers, Feet & Co., Mr! John O'Hare, Messrs. VV. S. 
Snow «&; Co., Broad Gauge Iron Stall Works, Messrs. Alman & Co., 
and Messrs. Flandrau & Co. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. Page 

Introductory i 

CHAPTER II. 
Good Taste, Fashion, and Heraldry lo 

CHAPTER III. 

Expenses. — Cost of Establishing and Maintaining a Stable in 

the City, Town, or Country 17 

CHAPTER IV. 
Stables. — Location, Plan, Construction, and Fittings ... 26 

CHAPTER V. 

Carriages. — Development. Construction, Cost, Weight, Types, 

and Appointments 62 

CHAPTER VI. 

The Points of the Horse. — Conformation, Action, Color, 

Soundness, Measuring, Sex, and Manners 99 



X CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VII. Page 

The Choice of a Horse. — Types, Carriage Horses, Saddle 

Horses, Sources of Supply, Values, and Buying . . . . 121 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Harness. — Quality of Leather, Furniture, Flitting, Various 

Parts and Appointments 161 

CHAPTER IX. 

Saddles and Bridles. — The Parts. Construction, Design, 

and Cost 217 

CHAPTER X. 

Bits. — The Construction of Driving and Riding Bits, The 

Various Types, Curb-Chains, and Cost 249 

CHAPTER XI. 

VVhifs, Robes, Horse Clothing, etc. — Driving and Riding 
Whips; Coaching, Tandem, and Hunting Horns; Driving 
Aprons; Dress and Stable Clothing; Stable Requisites, etc. 274 

CHAPTER XII. 

Stable Servants. — Character, Education, T}-pes, Wages, 

Means of Obtaining, etc 313 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Livery. — Its Origin, Regulations Governing the Shape and 

Make, Details Defined, and Cost 338 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Stable Management. — Recognition of Authority, System, 
Order, Cleanliness, Economy, Regulation of Time off. Meal 
Hours, Care of Stable Requisites 358 



CONTENTS. xi 

CHAPTER XV. Page 

Fodder, Water, and Bedding. — The Quality, Quantity, and 

Cost of Ha}-, Grain, Bedding, etc 389 

CHAPTER XVI. 
Blanketing, Grooming, Bandaging, AND Shoeing . . . 418 

CHAPTER XVn. 

Conditioning, Mouthing, Exercising, Trimming, Pulhng the 
Mane, Hogging, Docking, Chpping, Singeing, Pasturing, 
and Wintering 452 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Bitting, The Bearing-Rein, Preparing the Horse for Saddle or 
Harness, Saddling, Harnessing, Putting on Livery, " Putting 
to," Position on the Box, Groom's Duties, The Use of a 
Carriage, Distance, Unsaddling, Unharnessing, Care of 
Horses, Carriages, Steels, Harness, Saddles, Whips, Liver\-, 
and Robes 480 

CHAPTER XIX. 
Veterinary Notes 531 

CHAPTER XX. 

Hints on Driving : One Horse, A Pair, Tandem, and Four- 
in-Hand. Supplemented with Some Notes on Tandem and 
Four-in-Hand Driving. By Frederic Ashenden .... 542 

CHAPTER XXI. 
Riding and Driving for Women. By Belle Beach . . . 561 



xii CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XXII. Page 

Riding for Men. By T. C. P. of Toronto 572 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
Hunters and Hunting. By Harry W. Smith 585 

CHAPTER XXIV. 
Exhibiting. By Francis M. Ware 595 

Records. — One-Horse Running Records; Riding Records; 

Driving Records 609 

INDEX 611 



LIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS. 



The Prize-winning Pair, " Coxy" and "Brown Donna" Frontispiece 
Exterior of City Stable Facing page 28 



Exterior of Country Stable 
Interior of Harness Room 



The First Brougham constructed, and Bus of Stand- 
ard Design 

Victoria of Standard Design, and Panel-boot Victoria 
of Standard Design 

Two types of Pole-Ends 

Pole-Ends for Road Coach, with chain fastened to 
the langet by shackles, bolts, and nuts . . . 

Types of Modern Carriages. Plate I 

„ M „ Plate II 

The Champion Roadsters, "Emoleta" and " Mam- 
brino Belle " . . . 

"Going-to-cover" Cart 

The Champion Harness Horse, "The Whirl of the 
Town " 



32 
38 
44 

64 

72 
78 

80 
84 
85 

88 
90 

104 



xiv ILLUSTRATIONS. 

The Prize-winning Carriage Horses, "The Rat" and 

"The Cat" Facing page iio 

The Champion Trotting-bred Harness Horse, 

" Cogent " ,, ,, 122 

The Prize-winning Hackney, " Langton Performer" ,, ,, 124 

Prize-winning Pony, " Sport " ,, ,, 135 

Prize-winning Ladies' Saddle Horse, " Lady Bonnie " ,, ,, 138 

The Prize-winning Heavyweight Hunter, " Burford " ,, ,, 142 

The Prize-winning Polo Pony, "Buckwheat" ... „ ,, 146 

Prize-winning Pony, "Ginger" ,, -.159 

The Prize-winning Ponies, "Spot" and "Light Foot " ,, ,, 174 

The Prize-winning Harness Horse, " Great Scott " . ,, ., 184 

Three types of Tugs — English, French, and Tilbury ,, ,, 188 

The Prize-winning Tandem, " Goldenrod " and 

" Blazeaway " , ,, 190 

Brougham Harness of the winning entry at the 

National Horse Show ,, ,, 202 

Pair-Horse Victoria Harness of winning entry at the 

National Horse Show ,, ,, 204 

Run-about Harness of the winning entry at the 

National Horse Show ,, 206 

Tandem Harness of the winning entry at the Na- 
tional Horse Show ,, ., 208 

Park Coach Harness of winning entry in appoint- 
ment class at the National Horse Show ... ,, ,,210 

Road Coach Harness of winning entry at the Na- 
tional Horse Show ,, ,, -212 

The Prize-winning Roadster, "Hood's McGregor" ., ,, 214 



ILL USTRA TIONS. 

Head Lad in Stable Clothes 

Coachman and Groom in Greatcoats 

Coachman and Groom in Body Coats 

Coachman in Stable Clothes 

Servant in Storm Clothes 

The Prize-winning Road Four at Philadelphia 

Tandem Bars 

The late Mr. Frank Beard's Road Four 

The Prize-winning Pair, " Coxy " and " Brown 
Donna " 

Half-bred Hackney, "Frills" 

Champion, " Glorious Bonnie " 

Prize-winning Pair, " Donner " and "Blitzen" . 

The Champions, "Glorious Bonnie" and "Glorious 
Connie " 

Preparing to Mount and Proper Seat 

Prize-winning Pair, "Kitty Gray" and "The Baron" 

Mr. Vanderbilt's Champion Harness Horse, "U. G. I." 

Mr. H. L. Bussigny's "Pierrot," winner of the cham- 
pionship, 1901 

Mr. Smith's " St. Rudolph," with owner up . . . 

Judges and Officials of the Newport Horse Show 

Gig Class, Newport Horse Show 



Facing page 322 
340 
342 
348 
352 
404 

499 
500 

504 
526 

542 

545 

555 
561 

569 
571 

572 
585 
595 
600 



THE PRIVATE STABLE. 




CHAPTER I. 



The horse shows that are now held annually in the large 
cities have done much to stimulate an interest in all matters 
pertaining to the horse. Their influence has been very 
marked, and its effect is seen in the increased demand for 
good horses, improved appointments and better horseman- 
ship. Owners of all classes, but with a common interest at 
heart, are brought in contact ; ideas are interchanged and 
the opinions of the horse-world are moulded and shaped into 
definite form ; impractical and pet theories are exposed to 
common-sense criticism, and standards, more or less rigid, 
are established by those who have proved themselves best 
qualified to determine them. Although horse shows aim 
to provide examples of what is right, yet the public at 
large is not informed why they are considered so, and has 
to turn to other sources for enlightenment. However, that 
a desire for further information is aroused is an important 
step in the right direction, and has started a crusade against 
general ignorance in such matters. 



2 THE INFLUENCE OF HORSE SHOWS. 

The novice, wishing to establish a stable, encounters so 
many pitfalls, and has, usually, so little advice offered except 
by interested and designing persons, that the author has 
been led to believe that there are many who will wel- 
come and use some timely counsel on the establishment 
and management of a private stable. In the arrangement 
of the text every effort has been made to present the sub- 
jects systematically with a view to rendering them explicit 
to a beginner and convenient for reference. No attempt 
has been made to define the details of appointments ; but 
those which characterize the winning entries at the National 
Horse Show or that are followed by well known owners have 
been given as a guide to the prospective exhibitor. The 
opinions of authorities vary to such an extent that the estab- 
lishment of a recognized standard to cover all the small 
points seems very remote. The reader should consider him- 
self free to indulge his own preferences, provided that they 
do not result in introducing details which are impractical 
or displeasing. 

The welfare and comfort of the horse have been carefully 
considered, as many of the pains which our patient four- 
footed friend is forced to bear are brought upon him through 
the unpardonable ignorance of those whom he so faithfully 
serves. A bit made unnecessarily severe, a collar that im- 
pedes the breathing or chafes the shoulders, a bearing-rein 
that cramps the muscles of the neck, injudicious feeding or 
heartless exposure, are the cause of some of the sufferings 
which the autho hopes he may be instrumental in alleviating. 

The indifference of owners regarding their stables has one 
very general effect, that of engendering carelessness, vary- 
ino- in desfree accordino^ to the characters of the stable- 



THE INFLUENCE OF THE OWNER. 3 

servants. The carriages and horses may look well on the 
road, due, not to any respect for the owner, but to the ser- 
vant's fear of unfavorable personal comment. This appre- 
hension does not always exist, and cannot therefore be 
depended upon to keep indifferent servants up to even a 
superficial performance of their duties. 

At home the coachman has too frequently no incentive 
offered to exert himself; the owner seldom enters the stable, 
and when he does so the chances are that through his silence, 
enforced by ignorance, he unwittingly sanctions much that is 
wrong. The author once asked a man why he was not doing 
better work for his employer, to which he replied, " Well, sir, 
there ain't no use sittin' up all night cleaning harness when the 
folks don't care whether it's done or not, nor gittin'up afore the 
crack of dawn to have the stable clean and tidy when nobody 
never sees it." From which characteristic argument an expla- 
nation may be found for many instances of bad workmanship. 

Much good and no little pleasure can be derived from 
daily visits to the stable. If a person is not at the moment 
fond of horses, the natural love of animals gradually develops, 
and the owner then becomes desirous of making his stable a 
model one, and of maintaining it in good form by having 
the very best of all that is required. 

As the reader has in all likelihood not as yet become 
imbued with sufficient enthusiasm to be in sympathy with 
these extreme views, and is still standing on the threshold 
of his stable debating whether it is " wise or otherwise 
than wise" to enlighten himself concerning so many 
details, and thereby become conscious of troubles that 
lurk within ; let us suppose that, for the moment, the 
beginner decides to let well enough alone and returns to his 



4 THE OWNER JUDGED BY HIS TURN-OUT. 

house ; at some time he is forced into drawing a comparison 
between a passing trap and his own, and is surprised to find 
that the other horses appear to go better with the carriage 
and with each other; the harness, the horses and the whole 
turn-out have a smoother and more pleasing effect to the eye 
than his equally expensive ones. Symmetry is not the result 
of chance, but of thought, care, a knowledge of details and 
careful attention, combined with judgment and good taste. 

When it is considered that to educated persons a vehicle 
is as indicative of the character of the owner as are his man- 
ners, dress and household surroundings, it is but natural that 
he should wish to qualify himself to give the subject of this 
essay his attention and personal supervision. It may be 
asked, why turn a source of pleasure into a care by the 
annoyance its management would in all likelihood entail.? 
Without considering the moral duty, which any possession 
implies to exist, it may be said, that an individual who is less 
informed than those who are serving him is not qualified to 
govern, and a person unfit to intelligently control the care of 
his possessions is the sufferer from his own folly and incom- 
petency. 

To be constantly driven in an ill-appointed vehicle is an 
unconscious acknowledgment of bad taste or ignorance, and 
the author joins the critical onlooker in a common regret, 
that the possession of wealth should so often serve to empha- 
size the lack of refinement and good taste by expenditures 
which make the owner an object of pity, if not of ridicule. 
Yet there is, and unfortunately always will be, a class of peo- 
ple utilizing horses and carriages who know nothing, and, 
what is far worse, care nothing about the welfare of their 
animals, unless they are actually incapacitated. This is seen 



THE EFFECT OF THE OWNER'S INDIFFERENCE. 5 

especially in large cities and at fashionable summer resorts, 
where the complexities of life and social competitions are to 
blame for much of the evil. 

As a rule, when an equipage forms only one of the many 
luxuries of an establishment, the management is entirely in 
the hands of a coachman, who " owns the stable," being 
limited in nothing, except possibly as to the total expense 
for each month. This method of shirking a self-inflicted 
responsibility would not be so pernicious, provided every 
man intrusted with the care of a stable were as good as the 
best servants, but without some personal knowledge it is 
impossible to pass judgment on one's coachman or groom. 
Intemperance or ignorance is often not discovered until an 
accident occurs to the horse, carriage or perhaps the owner. 
It may or may not then transpire that the worthy servant 
had previously served the profession of sign painter, yacht 
steward or at best strapper in some livery stable. 

From a general lack of intelligent supervision, Jehus, 
recruited from every walk of life, have been given liberty to 
run riot with their theories, remedies and individual methods 
of accomplishing, or of appearing to accomplish, their voca- 
tions, with the result that to the majority of the public the 
management of the stable is shrouded in mystery. People 
have a vague impression that the horse is kept alive by magic 
art, indispensable powders or other unknown concoctions of 
the stable magician. In reality the work should be of the 
simplest order, and the very complexities which confront the 
owner are the products of ignorance and mismanagement, 
just as dust and dirt are of slovenliness. 

The thoughtlessness or bad judgment which character- 
izes the blind confidence of many who intrust the care of 



6 THE OWNER MUST BECOME MASTER. 

innumerable costly possessions to servants of unknown 
ability is without parallel. Hundreds and often thousands 
of dollars' worth of property are needlessly destroyed by a 
few acts of neglect or improper care. A two-hundred-dollar 
watch can only be regulated by such and such a man, but its 
owner turns a ^i,ooo pair of horses over to the care of a 
drunkard. A ten-dollar check is carefully locked up, while 
a ^1,500 carriage is allowed to rot in a damp carriage house. 

Those who are about to become masters of their own 
establishments should start out with the idea clearly fixed in 
their minds that the complications which John or James pre- 
sents to thwart his employer's entrance on sacred ground are 
the fruits either of stupidity or of bad training. For the 
moment ignore them and get working the more important 
inner wheels of the machine, and afterwards give the details 
your attention. Practical common sense accompanied by 
systematic work and the enforcement of absolute obedience to 
orders are the chief principles to be observed in good stable 
management. In your cleaning " a new broom " may be 
found necessary or conducive to the success of the new 
regime. If John or James cannot accommodate himself to 
the changed conditions, another man should be installed, as 
an inferior or surly servant can make the task hard enough 
to discourage even an experienced hand. Beginning with 
the time of feeding and the amount of food, then with the 
blanketing, grooming and exercising, the care of the car- 
riages, harness, etc., should be brought under your own 
supervision. 

Charles Brinley, in his valuable little book, " The Pocket 
and the Stud," says, regarding the management of the stable 
by a woman : — 



THE MANAGEMENT OF A STABLE BY A WOMAN. 7 

" Nothing pleases a subordinate more than to receive a command that 
he has the opportunity of showing to be absurd or unreasonable. It author- 
izes hesitation in obeying and discussion on the propriety of any that may be 
subsequently given. 

" To prevent such an unpleasantness on the part of a lady, or one unac- 
customed to horses, the mode can be prescribed in a very few words. We 
will, of course, suppose that the horses and their accompaniments are wished 
to look as they should do for the purpose for which they are wanted. The 
first thing is to be made master of what proportion of work it is reasonable 
to expect from horses in their different capacities, and the mode in which 
and times at which such work should be called for. We will, of course, 
suppose they are to have a comfortable stable, comfortable clothing, and the 
man to have proper time to do his business, and all that he requires in rea- 
son to do it with ; the next thing, the proper and liberal allowance of prov- 
ender of different sorts that is necessary to keep up the required condition. 
Having learned this, and that the horses are in good health at the time the 
man takes to them, there can be nothing unkind, unreasonable, and still less 
overbearing, in her addressing her servant in something like the following 
strain : ' I give you charge of my horses in good health and condition. I 
shall only use them in such a way as authorizes my expecting them to be 
kept so. I make such an allowance of provender as I am told by those who 
perfectly understand such matters is fully sufficient. I shall take care that 
your situation is made a comfortable one to you ; and so long as you do 
your duty by me and my horses, you will keep it. Provided my horses look 
well, you will find that no unnecessary interference with you will take place ; 
but if, on the contrary, I am told they are neglected, or what is the same 
thing, look as if they were so, the same day you go, unless I am told by 
competent judges that you are not to blame ; and I never break my word.' 

"With such an exordium, no good servant would be afraid to enter on his 
charge and doubtless would do his duty ; while one less well disposed would 
be afraid to neglect it. He might try ' the kicking over the trace,' but if he 

found that on the first attempt Mr. pulled him up, he would find it 

would not do." 

The task of personally conducting the management of a 
stable is one that a lady is advised not to undertake even with 



8 PUBLIC AND CLUB STABLES. 

a good servant in charge. The control of stables is to stable 
servants what politics are to politicians — very corrupting. 
If a lady desires to maintain a stable, she will find it to her 
advantage to place the supervision of it in the hands of some 
relative, even though his experience in such matters is limited. 

A tyro, owing to the seeming impossibility of finding 
proper stable accommodations, often succumbs to the persua- 
sions of some livery-stable keeper to have the turn-out boarded 
in a public establishment. The possessor of a good horse and 
carriaoe is advised under most circumstances to avoid such a 
disposition of the subject, for the reason that a stable of this 
kind is conducted purely on money-making principles. 
Provision is made with a view to handling only cheap, com- 
mercial horses and carriages. The stalls are, as a rule, nar- 
row, badly drained and lighted ; the carriage house dark, 
damp and unprotected from the dust and dirt of the street ; 
and your coachman, besides being deprived of fair means of 
acquitting himself to the best of his ability, is thrown in con- 
tact with a hard set of men. Then again if the proprietor is 
unscrupulous it is more than likely that he or his subordi- 
nates will turn your possessions to his personal account by 
using your blankets, brushes, pails, etc. In public stables 
there is more risk from contagious diseases, in consequence 
of your horses being thrown in contact with a large number 
of animals, any one of which is apt to bring the germs of an 
epidemic into the stable. 

There is greater chance of faring better in a club stable, 
though many of the objections cited above are to be met with 
in stables of a semi-private character. If a person does not 
care to maintain a separate stable, it will be found more con- 
venient and economical in the long run to share a private one 



BOOKS OF REFERENCE. 9 

with a friend or to use a club stable in preference to intrust- 
Yc\<y valuable chattels to the uncertain care s^iven them in a 
livery stable. 

There are numerous works treating of the horse, his care 
in sickness and his general management. Reference to some 
of these books will be made from time to time in order that 
the reader may, if he chooses, become more conversant with 
all or any part of the subjects which are here dealt with in a 
necessarily general way. These books are as a rule individ- 
ually of but little service as a guide to the beginner who de- 
sires to be informed in untechnical terms as to what he wants 
and how to obtain it. These notes therefore are intended in 
the first chapters to give the elementary information required 
by a person contemplating the acquisition of one or more 
horses and carriages ; and the remaining pages are devoted 
to advice and suggestions whereby a stable can be successfully 
and economically conducted. 




CHAPTER II. 
GOOD TASTE, FASHION AND HERALDRY. 

GOOD TASTE. 

Good taste as applied to an 
equipage may be described as 
a natural inclination to reject 
whatever in the common-sense 
meaning of the word is not 
right, i. e., has no I'aison d'etre. 
Each object should possess that 
perfect balance which is obtained by carrying every detail to 
a full state of development. There must be nothing super- 
fluous, exaggerated, nor anything wanting; each subordinate 
part should have some function and be in harmony with the 
completed whole. 

Good taste in a turn-out is shown by the choice of a prop- 
erly designed carriage for the service it is intended to perform. 
The horse or the pair should be sound, well mannered, 
up to and not above the work ; the harness simple, well made 
and properly put on ; the servant or servants well appearing, 
well trained and uniformed in properly fashioned livery. An 
equipage thus turned out will, in all likelihood, cost but little 
more to maintain than the majority of the shoddy vehicles 
which too frequently herald the presence of an owner, who 
mistakes the notice occasioned by vulgar display for the 
much desired awe and admiration of the public. In " setting 

up a stable " the purchaser should bear in mind that the car- 
lo 



FASHION. 11 

riage, harness and livery, if of simple and appropriate design, 
will always be in good taste, though they may not satisfy the 
demands of a passing fashion. 

Evidences of bad taste are manifested by many persons 
who exhibit, in the extravagance of the separate parts of 
their equipage, a desire to have "the proper thing," but who 
fail, owing to the inappropriateness or lack of harmony in 
the component parts. The most common example of bad 
taste is thrust before our notice in the vulgar effort of some 
ambitious owners to possess elaborately appointed equipages ; 
and who mar the whole effect by having the new livery of 
the new o^room a few shades darker than that of the coach- 
man, or in the vain attempt to make the worn-out family 
steeds, by the aid of fine feathers, partake of the animation 
and glitter of a phase of life unknown to them. 

An owner of large means, if inclined to conduct his 
stable luxuriously, may do so and keep within the bounds of 
good taste by improving the quality or increasing the num- 
ber of his horses and carriages ; either course will ease the 
pressure on the purse-strings and add more to the comfort 
and pleasure of the master than the bedecking of the harness 
with metal mountings or the conspicuous blazoning of coats 
of arms on the carriage panels. 

FASHION. 

Fashion is a name given to the constantly changing pro- 
vision which is made to satisfy the natural desire for variety. 
The dictates of this mistress are based, in many instances, 
on a sound foundation, and a beginner, though started by a 
competent adviser, soon goes astray if he does not possess 
sufficient judgment to discriminate between the good and 
the bad. 



12 HERALDRY. 

When a new design is the result of rational improve- 
ments it first becomes the fashion with those who understand 
horses and carriages, and then with the general public. The 
case is reversed when dealers, with the sole object of creat- 
ing some novelty, introduce a bizarre form or pattern. Un- 
thinking persons may be attracted by it for the moment; 
since, however, it is without any serviceable or redeeming 
qualities, its place is soon taken by some new commercial bait. 

A fashion should possess enough freshness and originality 
to satisfy any reasonably active mind, and may easily be at- 
tained by new combinations without creating such things as 
are without reason, appropriateness or relationship. " Every- 
thing partaking of a sham, also, that is wanting in real 
excellence, will be discarded by persons desiring to obtain 
credit for correct taste." 

HERALDRY. 

That form of pretension which makes evident the intent 
to deceive, and under such conditions the arrogance of an 
individual, calls forth, especially from those whom he most 
desires to impress, the severest condemnation and ridicule. 

In the matter of heraldic display, the upstart " rushes 
in where angels fear to tread." By a bungling self-assump- 
tion of honors, he goes to an extreme that makes the contrast 
with a conveniently forgotten past so conspicuous, that his 
flowery present excites a desire on the part of the public to 
become familiar with the life history of so great a member of 
the community. Herbert Spencer, in the Westminster 
Review^ 1854, says: "Coats of arms, which served to dis- 
tinguish men in battfe, now figure on the carriage panels of 
retired tradesmen. Once a badge of high military rank, the 



HERALDRY. 13 

shoulder-knot has become on the modern footman a mark of 
servitude." 

Though coats of arms beget no official recognition for 
their bearers in this country, they are not without some weight 
socially. A display of a coat of arms, or any of its parts, 
cannot be considered other than a sign of one of the many 
weaknesses of human vanity. A mistake, however, in the 
usage of such insignia by a person who can lay just claim to 
it by inheritance is free from the charge of deception, though 
it opens him to the criticism of ignorance regarding such 
matters. Since the former class are barred, as the bearers of 
false coin, it is for the latter that the following information, 
supported by recognized authorities, is given regarding the 
use and abuse of heraldic insignia, as applied to carriages, 
livery and harness. 

Mr. John E. Coussans, an eminent English authority, 
unmistakably indicates that the right is denied to display 
coats of arms or crests on the above-mentioned parts of an 
equipage. " They (badges) were intended to be borne on 
military equipments, caparisons^ articles of domestic use, etc." 
In another passage the same author states : " Buttons should 
always be of the dominant metal in the arms and charged 
with the master's badge, not his crest. The latter belongs 
exclusively to the bearer of the arms, servants have no right 
whatever to them." — (" Handbook of Heraldry," fourth edi- 
tion, pages 133 and 333.) In further support of the argument 
that badges, and not crests, should be used, may be quoted a 
line from Boutell's " Heraldry," second edition, referring to 
the Middle Ages, which reads, " Every servant carried his 
master's badge on his arm." Again quoting Mr. Coussans : 
*' As the bearing of crests was restricted solely to their indi- 



14 ■ HERALDRY. 

vidual possessors, badges consisting of a single figure were 
employed to designate the family to which such dependants 
belonged " (page i ^^Z^ Regarding the selection of badges, the 
same author says : " Badges . . . are quite arbitrary: if, there- 
fore, a gentleman has not an hereditary badge, he is at per- 
fect liberty to devise one for himself, without any fear of 
incurring the censure of the College of Heralds " (page 333). 

Custom makes many inroads into laws and frequently 
robs them of their original significance. Should a person 
decide that present custom and precedent outweigh the fine 
distinctions that encompassed the science of heraldry, and 
which, in fact, created the science in establishing marks of 
differentiation among men, then let such a person, at least, 
conform to the accepted modern laws governing the subject. 

These laws are here given in an abridged form. 

I. The male members of a family inheriting arms may 
use the coat of arms or the crest, with or without the motto 
and ribbon. 

Authority : Coussans, page 150, " Paternal arms being by right borne by 
all sons of a family," etc. 

If the bearer of arms marries a woman whose family is 
also entitled to bear arms, he may impale the two shields, i, e., 
combine the two shields in one, the dividing line between 
them being drawn perpendicularly through the centre of the 
shield, the charge of the husband's shield occupying the left- 
hand division. This impaled shield can only be borne by the 
husband and his wife, or either of them in the event of the 
other's death. 

Authority : Boutell, page 223, "The arms, therefore, of husband and 
wife (when the wife is not an heiress) can only be borne by the husband and 



HERALDRY. 15 

wife." Coussans, page 165, "Marshalling by impalement is effected by 
slightly compressing the two coats of arms, and placing them in their entirety 
side by side on one escutcheon. In this manner the arms of husband and 
wife are usually combined, those of the husband, or, in heraldic phraseology, 
the baron towards the dexter, and those of the femme on the sinister." 

The sons use their father's coat of arms unless their mother 
is an heiress ; /. ^., has inherited the arms in consequence of 
there being no male heirs and she being the eldest or only 
daughter, in which case the sons are entitled to quarter their 
shield with the paternal and maternal arms. 

Authority: Coussans, page 166, "All the issue of a marriage with an 
heir female are entitled to bear both their paternal and maternal coats 
quartered, together with all the quarterings to which their mother may her- 
self have been entitled." 

2. The female members of a family inheriting arms may 
use the shield, and only the shield, with the modifications 
given below. 

Authority : Boutell, page 298, " Crests are not borne in the armorial in- 
signia of ladies with the exception of the sovereign." Coussans, page 199, 
" There are many ancient families who, though bearing arms, possess no motto, 
and its use is in all cases forbidden to ladies, the queen excepted." 

Daughters and widows who are entitled to bear arms use 
a diamond or lozenge shaped shield. 

Authority : Boutell, page 9, " The escutcheons of unmarried gentle- 
women and widows and noble ladies who have married commoners are 
always lozenge or diamond shaped." 

Regarding the use by women of impaled, i. e., combined 
arms, see last paragraph of laws relating to the use of arms 
by the male members of a family. The use of the impaled 
shield is appropriate when co-ownership is to be implied. 

The ridiculous audacityof a commoner displaying a crown 



16 ' HERALDRY. 

or coronet is evident to every one who knows that the former 
can only be borne by kings and the latter by royal princes. 

A common error in blazoning, i. e., rendering heraldic de- 
vices from the technical descriptions, arises from ignorance 
of the fact that the dexter side of the shield is not the right 
but the left side. This seeming inconsistency in nomencla- 
ture is explained by the fact that the sides of the shield were 
designated by the person who stood behind it : hence that 
side of the shield which is on the right hand of the- person 
carrying it is on the left side of the person facing it. 

Another " bull " that is made in blazoning is the render- 
ing of the bandeau or torse upon which the crest rests 
with more or less than six twists. 

It should be composed of exactly six twists and be alter- 
nately light and dark, the first twist at the extreme left should 
always be lighter in color than the one next it. Authority: 
Coussans, page i88, "It is composed of six twists and derives 
its tinctures from the shield and charges which it ensigns. 
The predominant metal and color appear alternately, the 
metal towards the dexter." 

Unless the reader is thoroughly conversant with the many 
laws of heraldry and is thereby capable of judging when the 
blazoning is properly done, its application had best be 
omitted. In its place let some badge, knot or rebus be em- 
ployed to convey the idea of private ownership. The public 
exhibition of a person's consciousness that he is or believes 
himself to be more favored in the matter of birth than the 
majority of his fellow beings is a proof that not only is his 
vanity greater than his modesty, but that his desire to impress 
outweighs his recognition of the virtue of simplicity. 




CHAPTER III. 

EXPENSES. 

COST OF ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING A STABLE IN THE 
CITY, TOWN OR COUNTRY. 

That bugbear of all 
luxuries, the item of cost, 
forces itself into early 
prominence in consider- 
ing the establishment of 
a private stable. In 
many instances the 
seeds of social ambition 
are first sown in the 
stable and are dependent upon the clippings from trades- 
men's orders and other domestic economies for their early 
nutriment. Even when an income is sufficient to support 
a separate stable account, the inexperienced person, if pru- 
dent, wishes to possess an approximate idea as to what will 
be the extent of the demands on his purse. The expense 
incident to the equipment and maintenance of various sized 
stables is neither so vague nor so difficult to accurately 
anticipate as is commonly supposed, and it is quite possible 
for a beginner to be guided beforehand by reviewing the cost 
of representative establishments. 

Although the majority of stable expenses are definite and 
subject to little or no variation, there are several items which 
fluctuate, and some of these are beyond the direct control of 

17 



18 • EXPENSES. 

the owner. Thus a stable among residences or in the com- 
mercial part of any of the large cities sells or rents for double 
the price of a similar one in a less favored neighborhood ; 
then the varying amounts and different kinds of work the 
same number of horses, carriages and men are made to per- 
form by different owners bear a marked influence on the 
cost. As the standard is higher in the cities the renewals are 
necessarily more frequent and of a more expensive nature than 
those in a town or country place where the life of carriages, 
harnesses and liveries is often extended beyond a condition 
of gentility. Such shabby economy would evoke unpleasant 
criticism in a city. The horses, carriages, etc., being of a 
more costly type in the cities, it is obvious that more expe- 
rienced and consequently better paid labor is required in 
their care and in the execution of repairs and renewals. 

A stable servant may save his master a large sum of 
money in the course of a few years or he can create innumer- 
able bills for repairs, varying from those for broken harness 
to the more serious charges for veterinary attendance or the 
coach builder's account. 

Having been shown the existence and cause of these fluc- 
tuating expenses, the reader will understand why the figures 
given in computing the running expenses of specific repre- 
sentative establishments are only approximate. 

A beginner, through his ignorance of what is necessary 
in the running of a stable, seldom, if ever, at the outset of 
his career, equips his establishment with the proper requi- 
sites. He more often either underestimates the number of 
the articles needed or acquiesces only too willingly in the 
purchase of useless brushes, pastes and quack concoctions 
suggested by a glib-tongued servant. As the owner's purse 



EXPENSES. 19 

suffers as much from one mistake as from the other, the 
author has given a list in this chapter, and in the one on 
Stable Management, of what is actually required. It may be 
stated here that, as much irreparable harm is often done by 
the inferior quality or ruinous effects of popular labor-saving 
compounds, it has been deemed advisable to specify well- 
known standard materials. 

The logical order of presenting the items of this subject 
would necessitate, first, giving the detailed sums required for 
the equipment, followed by an enumeration of the running 
expenses ; but in the present instance this order has been 
reversed, as the first question which the tyro naturally asks 
is, what size stable does a given portion of my income 
represent in terms of horses and carriages ? Therefore an 
understanding of the monthly expenses of different sized 
stables, conducted under various conditions, has to be mas- 
tered before the beginner is in a position to decide upon the 
dimensions and to consider the original outlay. 

One servant can care for three horses and a stable 
equipped proportionately with carriages, harness, etc., but 
for a matter of simplicity and convenience the items are 
based on the expenses incident to the keeping of one horse. 
The figures given may serve, however, as a framework upon 
which the cost of fodder, bedding, shoeing and repairs can 
readily be made for a much larger establishment. 

STABLE REQUISITES ORIGINAL OUTLAY. 

HORSE CLOTHING, ETC. Horse Clothing.— O?;;/. 

1 Eng. Leather HeadC"o]lar,\vhite 1 Day Blanket, fawn kersey, win- 
front, brass trimmed $2 50 ter ?7 50 

1 Halter Shank with buckle 1 00 1 Night Blanket, fawn burlap, sum- 

1 Night Blanket, fawn burlap, mer 2 00 

winter 2 75 1 Day Blanket, serge, summer .... 8 50 



20 



EXPENSES. 



Horse Clothing. — Cont. 

1 Hood, fawn kersey, medium 

weight $4 50 

2 Linen Sheets 3 00 

1 Single-strapped Roller 35 

1 Double-strapped Roller for ker- 
sey blanket 3 50 

1 Pair Knee Caps to match kersey 

blanket 2 50 

1 Set (4) Woollen Bandages 1 50 

1 Set (4) Linen Bandages 1 25 

1 Cooler 3 50 



139 35 
GROOMING ARTICLES. 

1 Cleaning Bridle $1 50 

1 Body Brush 2 75 

1 Currycomb 25 

1 Horn Mane Comb 25 

1 Dandy Brush 50 

1 Water Brush 1 25 

1 Set (4) Linen Rubbing Cloths. . 1 00 

1 Sponge 75 

1 Wooden Scraper 15 

1 Hoof Pick . .• 25 

1 Pair Trimming Scissors 1 25 

1 Hand Clipper 2 00 

1 Singeing Lamp 1 75 

1 Bar Mottled Castile Soap 50 

$U 15 

FOR THE STALL ROOM. 

1 Two-quart Oat Measure gO 30 

1 One-quart Oat Measure 20 

1 Iron Oat Sieve 1 00 

1 Pair Pillar Reins 2 00 

1 Heavy Oak Pail 75 

1 Rattan Push Broom 75 

1 Wooden Bedding Fork 50 

1 Manure Fork 75 

1 Shovel 1 00 

1 Stall Pick 75 

1 Basket 45 

1 Watering Pot for Disinfectant . . 75 

1 Can Amer. Disinfecting Liquid. 1 80 

1 Sponge Rack ' 2 00 

1 Harness Hook 75 

1 Set (4) Broom and Fork Hooks, 1 00 

1 Blanket Pole, 6 ft. long 1 50 

1 Hoof Pick 25 

^16 50 



FOR THE CARRIAGE HOUSE. 

1 Heavy Oak Pail #0 75 

1 Wringer 3 75 

1 Wooden Wheel Jack 2 50 

1 Step Ladder 3 00 

1 Length (50 ft.) of Hose 5 00 

1 Hose Bracket 75 

1 Squilgee 75 

1 Mop 25 

2 Sponges 1 50 

1 Sp' )nge Rack 2 00 

1 Oil-tanned Chamois 50 

1 Chamois 75 

1 Feather Duster 1 90 

1 Carriage Brush 1 90 

1 Whisk Broom 25 

1 Rubber Apron 1 50 

1 Pair Rubber Boots 3 50 

^30 55 



FOR THE HARNESS. 

1 Pair Compo. Brushes $1 50 

2 Crest Brushes 1 50 

1 Dry Chamois 75 

1 Black Chamois 50 

1 Package Lampblack 10 

1 Can Jamison's Harness Compo . 30 

1 Cake Beeswax 45 

1 Can Propet's Black Dye 50 

1 Bottle Brown's Meltonian Cream, 25 

1 Can Neat's-foot Oil 25 

1 Jar Propet's Saddle Paste 25 

1 Can S. P. S, Brass Polish, White 

Label 35 

1 Box Propet's Plate Powder .... 40 

Silver Sand for Steels 

1 Harness-cleaning Hook 75 

2 Harness Brackets 3 00 

1 Florence Oil Stove 2 25 

1 Leather Punch 1 50 

1 Steel Burnisher 1 00 



^15 60 



FOR THE LIVERY. 

1 Pair Boot Brushes 31 50 

1 Pair Boot-top Brushes 2 00 

1 Hat Brush 45 

1 Clothes Brush 2 00 

1 Bottle Day & Martin's Blacking, 25 



EXPENSES. 



21 



For The Livery. — Con/. 
1 Bottle Day & Martin's Russet 

Cream 50 25 

1 Jar Propet's Breeches Paste. ... 75 

1 Box Propet's Boot-top Powder . 40 

1 Bottle Propet's Boot-top Stain . . 25 

1 Pair Boot Trees 5 00 

1 Pair Breeches Trees 14 75 

1 Button Plate 20 

^27 80 



TOTALS. 

For Horse Clothing, etc ^39 35 

" Grooming Articles •. . . 14 15 

" Stall-room Articles 16 50 

" Carriage House 30 55 

" Harness Articles 14 60 

" Livery Articles 27 80 



Total for Stable Requisites, $142 9;" 



COST OF FODDER AND BEDDING. 
The prices given are approximate, the rate for hay is a little low and that for straw a trifle high. 





Quantity 
Per Day. 


Cost 
Per Day. 


Quantity 
Per Month. 


Cost 
Per Month. 


Quantity 
Per Year. 


Cost 
Per Year. 


OATS, 

at 32c. per bu. 
HAY, 

at $20 per ton 
STRAW, 

at $20 per ton 
BRAN OR SHORTS, 
at $lfi.40per ton 
CARROTS, 

at 75c. per bu. 


10-11 qts. 
10-nibs. 
3-4 lbs. 

1-2 lbs 


10-11 cts 
10-11 cts. 
3-4 cts. 

1-2 cts. 


300-330 qts. 
300-5301bs. 

90-120 lbs. 
2-4 lbs. 

30-60 lbs. 


$3.00-$3.30 
3.00-3.30 
.90-1.20 
.016-0,32 
.38 .75 


3,600-3,900 qts. 

3,600-3,900 lbs. 

1,080-1,440 lbs. 

24-48 lbs. 

360-720 lbs. 


$36.00-$39.60 
36.00-39.60 
10 80-14.40 

.19-.38 
4.50-9.00 


Totals, 


24-28 


24-28 


722-844 


$7.28-$8.56 


8,664-10,008 


$87.49-102.98 



SERVANT'S WAGES. SHOEING. REPAIRS. 

WAGES OF ONE PER PER SET OF PER PER PER 

MAN AT DAY YR. FOUR MO. YR. ARTICLES YR. 

$45.00 per month $1.47 $.540 at $2.00 $2.00 $24.00 Blankets, $10.00 

50.00 " 1.64 600 " 2..50 2.50 30.00 Harness, 10 00 

60.00 " 1.97 720 " 3.00 3.00 36.00 Carriage, 25 00 

65.00 " 2.13 760 Average, $30.00 per year. Stable Req., 20.00 

TOTAL AMOUNT OF RUNNING EXPENSES. 

CITY. TOWN. COUNTRY. 

Rental of Stable $1,000.00 to $3,000.00 $300.00 to $.500.00 $100 00 to $175 00 

Water, Light and Fuel 100.00" 175.00 75.00" 1.50.00 75.00" 1.50 00 

Wages of 1 Man 580.00" 830.00 580.00" 830.00 580.00" 830.00 

^forone"h(^se^"^' ( lOO.OO " 125.00 100.00" 125.00 100.00" 125.00 

Shoeing for one horse 24.00" 36.00 24.00" 36.00 24.00" 36 00 

Renewals ,50.00" 200.00 40.00" 7.5.00 20 00" 60 00 

Repairs 50.00" 100.00 25.00" 50.00 2.5.00" 50 00 

Sundries 25.00" 50.00 15.00" 25.00 15.00" 25.00 

Total for one year $1,929.00 to $4,516.00 $1,159.00 to $1,791.00 $939.00 to $1,441.00 

Total for one month 96.00" 150.00 80.00" 120.00 

Average for one year $3,222.00 $1,47.5.00 $1,200.00 

Average for one month .... 270.00 123.00 100.00 

For each horse eliminated deduct from the running expenses $250. 

For each additional horse add to the running expenses $250. 

When more than three and less than seven horses are kept the wages of a second man must be added, 

$5(i0. 



22 EXPENSES. 

The reader, having formed an intelligent idea of the 
amount required to support stables of various sizes and un- 
der different conditions, has to consider now the items which 
compose the cost of the original outlay. 

TOTAL AMOUNT OF ORIGINAL EXPENSES. 

ITEMS. CITY. TOWN. COUNTRY. 

1 Horse ^225.00 to $500.00 $180.00 to $300.00 $200.00 to $300.00 

1 Winter Carriage. 700.00 " 1,200.00 400.00 " 800.00 2r)0.00 " 400.00 

1 Summer Carriage, 120.00 " 300.00 100.00 " 150.00 75.00 " 150.00 

1 Set of Harness .. 75.00" 150.00 50.00" 75.00 50.00" 75.00 

Stable Requisites . . 50.00 " 150.00 50.00 " 125.00 50.00 " 125.00 

Robes 30.00 " 100.00 10.00 " 20.00 5.00 " 15.00 

Livery .50.00 " 150.00 45.00 " 75.00 35.00 " 00.00 

Sundries 50.00 " 150.00 25.00 " 75.00 15.00 " 25.00 

Totals $1,300.00 to $2,700.00 $860.00 to $1,620.00 $680.00 to $1,150.00 

TOTAL EXPENSE FOR FIRST YEAR. 

ITEMS. CITY. TOWN. COUNTRY. 

Original Outlay .. . $1,300.00 to $2,700.00 $860.00 to $1,620.00 $680.00 to $1,150.00 
Running Expenses, 

with 1 horse.... 1,929.00" 4,516.00 1,159.00" 1,791.00 939.00" 1,441.00 

Total $3,229.00 to $7,216.00 $2,019.00 to $3,411.00 $1,019.00 to $2,591.00 

At first thought the fact that the higher estimate is in each 
case almost double that of the lower may incline the reader 
to suppose that either the former is liberal or the latter too 
small: neither of which is actually so. The lower esti- 
mates are sufficient to allow a stable to be conducted under 
the conditions indicated in a neat, workmanlike manner, to 
accomplish which no waste or bad management can be per- 
mitted. On the other hand, the larger allowances are no 
more than will be required for keeping the stable and its 
appointments in a high state of perfection. 

The blankets, harnesses and carriages will have to be re- 
placed by new ones from time to time, the blankets more fre- 
quently than the harnesses and the latter at shorter intervals 



EXPENSES. 23 

than the carriages. Good blankets should last, with proper 
care, two or three years before requiring rebinding or mend- 
ing. The harness, if kept in good condition, will last eight or 
ten years, and the repairs will not, or should not, amount to a 
large sum. The carriages, unless subjected to very hard 
use or injured by accident, will not require a thorough over- 
hauling for from three to five years, but after that time the 
bill for repairs will appear at frequent intervals. Carriages 
should be examined and repaired at the end of each season. 
The existence of the livery is comparatively transitory, es- 
pecially if the turn-out is of such a character that any shab- 
biness in the coachman's apparel is noticeable. 

If economy has to be practised, the amount expended in 
the purchase of a horse may be lessened by taking advantage 
of the off season in the horse market ; an animal, especially 
a stylish one, will command at auction almost twice the price 
in May or October that he would in July or February. A 
like saving may be made in the purchase of a carriage by 
buying a good and little used secondhand one from some 
responsible builder. The objection to this latter piece of 
economy is the possibility or likelihood of buying a wagon 
out of which all the service has been had. Providing the 
owner has a careful man in charge, a saving may be made 
by getting pastes, powders, brushes, etc., by the dozen from 
some wholesale firm. By purchasing in this way a saving 
of a few cents on each article is effected, and a similar saving 
may be made in the purchase of other stable requisites. If, 
however, the stable servants are prodigal with articles bought 
in quantities, the waste will more than offset the difference 
in the cost. 

The running expenses may be kept down to a minimum 



24 EXPENSES. 

if the owner devotes a little time to personally supervising the 
orders for supplies and repairs ; thus when grain is to be 
ordered the stable servant should report to the master, who 
either sives the order himself or sanctions the coachman's 
doing so. With a knowledge of how long the supplies should 
last, any waste or ordering for commission will be detected. 
If repairs are made similarly under the control of the owner 
the bill for these items will be greatly reduced. Small com- 
missions or perquisites may be allowed, but each dealer 
should be told at the outset that he will lose the owner's pat- 
ronage if any commissions are given large enough to be in 
the nature of a bribe for the servant to act dishonestly and to 
the advantage of the dealer. 

All bills should be dated, fully itemized and rendered 
each month. A better but more troublesome plan is not to 
allow bills to run at all, but to have an account accompany 
each purchase. It is a piece of heedless extravagance to 
allow bills to run six months or a year, and an owner who 
permits few, if any, bills to be contracted will save himself a 
large sum and prevent his servant and tradesman from con- 
verting many honest dollars into dishonest ones. 

It will be seen from the foregoing tables of running ex- 
penses that it would be more economical, if there be but one 
horse, to board him at a livery stable. This will be quite evi- 
dent in comparing the costs, but there are some disadvantages. 
The rate at a public stable is one dollar a day or thirty dol- 
lars per month, including the care of harness and carriages. 
By the payment of ten dollars a week, instead of seven, or 
forty dollars a month, a box stall can be procured. To these 
sums should be added from five to ten dollars per month for 
extra wear and tear. The bill for shoeing and the coach- 



EXPENSES. 25 

man's wages, if one is kept to do the driving, must be added 
to the above amounts. Livery-stable keepers make no reduc- 
tion if an owner's coachman does the work. The rate at 
club stables is generally a trifle higher. 

AN EXAMPLE OF THE RATE OF CLUB CHARGE FOR HORSES. 

Full board, horses per week . . . . . . $8 oo 

" " ponies " " . . . . . . 7 oo 

Rough board horses and ponies . . . . . 3 00 

Full board for ponies, owners to have own men care for them 5 00 
Rooms for private grooms . . . . . . i 00 

Table board . . . . . . . .450 

From this it is evident that for one year and few horses it 
is cheaper to keep them at a club or a public stable. But for 
a longer time and three or more horses, it is more economical 
as well as .satisfactory to equip and maintain a private stable. 




CHAPTER IV. 
STABLES. 

LOCATION, PLAN, CONSTRUCTION AND FITTINGS. 

. ^ , The choice of a stable will be largely de- 

f \ termined by the number of horse.s and carriages 
kept and the location of the owner's house. 
In the suburbs and in the country a place of 
average size generally includes a stable, and 
the shelter for the horses and carriages is de- 
pendent upon the desirableness of the dwelling 
rather than upon the stable accommodations. 
In the cities the conditions are changed. If 
the owner lives in the heart of the fashionable 
quarter, it is usually impossible to have the 
stable an adjunct of the house, and the nearest 

stable nei2:hborhood has 
to be searched for ac- 
commodations. 

In the selection of 
a stable there are cer- 
tain desirable and req- 
uisite conditions that are common factors in any form of 
permanent shelter for horses and carriages. Upon the exist- 
ence of these conditions the convenience, cleanliness and 
healthfulness of the stable are dependent. These desidei^ata 
are here given paragraphically in the order of their impor- 







im. 




LIGHT. 27 

tance, and in the examination or construction of a stable they 
should be the points first considered. 

RELATIVE LOCATION. 

The proximity of the stable to the house not only insures 
less time being lost between the two, but also causes the stable 
men to be more circumspect and attentive than would be the 
case were the distance greater. The owner of a stable which 
is half a mile or a mile away is not likely to appear in it at 
odd hours, and due preparation can be made to have all going 
well at the time of the regular morning or periodical visits of 
inspection ; whereas if the stable is close at hand various 
members of the family are likely to visit it from time to time, 
and any undue hilarity, inattention or act of cruelty is likely 
to be remarked upon by neighbors. In the country the 
stable should be placed, if possible, so that the prevailing 
winds will not make its presence objectionable to the occu- 
pants of the dwelling. 

LIGHT. 

Daylight and, under some conditions, sunshine are abso. 
lutely essential to the health of the horse and the preserva- 
tion of the carriages and harness. The windows and doors 
opening on the stalls should be so arranged that the light can 
penetrate to all parts of them to such a degree that a news- 
paper miay be read in the least lighted corners. These open- 
ings, however, must be so placed with relation to each other 
that no strong draughts will be produced. The presence of sun- 
shine is as essential in the coach house as it is objectionable 
at the head of the stalls. Each division of the stable should 
be lighted by windows communicating directly with the open 
air. Dark stables are to be recommended only under spe- 



28 VENTILATION. 

cific conditions and then solely for their quieting and resting 
effects, such as is desired for the overtired hunter and race 
horse during the short season of their violent exertion. The 
absence of light in any part of the stable promotes the action 
of dampness, filth and disease. 

VENTILATION. 

The value of fresh air in the stable is commensurate with 
the importance given to its influence on the human system. 
The organic life of a horse is influenced, sometimes imper- 
ceptibly, at other times markedly, by the presence or partial 
absence of fresh air. The effect of the atmosphere on the 
health of the horse is of such importance that some explicit 
explanation of its influence is pertinent in considering the 
subject of ventilation : 

The atmosphere is at one and the same time a purveyor of food to the 
system and a gatherer of waste particles. At each beat of the heart, blood is 
pumped into the capillary vessels which cover the cells of the lungs. While 
passing through these membranous sacs it is exposed to the action of the air 
and is converted from venous into arterial blood by the absorption of oxygen 
and the giving up of carbonic acid gas. The solid waste substances that 
the blood gathers in its passage through the vascular structure are removed by 
excretion. An additional and equally important function of the atmosphere 
is to furnish heat to the body. This warmth is produced by the chemical 
combustion of the oxygen of the air uniting with the carbon of the tissues. 
By the action of impure air the corpuscles are less highly vitalized owing to 
its being heavily charged with carbonic acid gas, hence it renders the blood 
less nourishing, less purified, and reduces the amount of combustion. Vi- 
tiated air by thus impoverishing the blood, poisoning the system and lowering 
the temperature of the body, induces a state of unhealthiness and prepares a 
fertile soil for the reception of every form of disease germ. 

The means of introducing fresh air into the stable should 
be so judiciously arranged that the cold air will become tem- 



VENTILATION. 29 

pered before reaching the horses. This cold air being 
heavier than the warm air, with which it is to commingle and 
partly replace, should be introduced from an aperture a few 
feet from the ground or floor. As the object is not only to 
introduce fresh air, but also to expel the foul air, some exit 
of ample size should be provided near or in the top of the 
ceiling. Such stress has been laid upon good ventilation, 
that the best means of providing for it are now very gen- 
erally understood, and all modern stables have some provi- 
sion for establishing a free current of air through the build- 
ing. In the usual system employed register-like openings 
are placed near the floor for the admission of fresh air, and a 
similar but larger opening is provided in a central part of the 
ceiling or in the wall near the ceiling. The upper ventilator 
is connected with the external air by a shaft which extends 
for a few feet above the ridge of the roof and is protected 
from the inclemency of the weather by either wooden or 
glass louvre boards. 

Each compartment of the stable should have its own 
system of ventilation, and when the construction is such that 
one room is dependent upon another for the admission of 
fresh air, it should be the coach house with the harness 
room or vice versa; the stalls should never be ventilated 
through the harness room or coach house, as the fumes of 
ammonia are injurious alike to harness and carriages. 

Lieutenant-General Sir F. Fitzwygram, in his book en- 
titled "Horses and Stables," fourth edition, page 21, thus 
emphasizes the necessity of providing good ventilation for 
the stall part of the stable : 

" Ventilation by means of louvre boards, along the ridge of the roof, 
should be provided in every case, where rooms over the stables do not pre- 



30 DRAINAGE. 

vent its adoption. Wliere rooms interfere, air shafts of two feet in diameter 
should be carried up through the ceihng and intervening rooms to the out- 
side of the roof. A board should be placed about six inches below the bot- 
tom of each air shaft to break and diffuse the draught ; and the top of the 
shaft should be protected by a cowl or louvre boards. When merely a loft 
intervenes, it should be removed, or at least thrown open in the centre, and 
proper ventilation and light thus secured through the roof. If, however, as 
is often the case in towns, circumstances or perhaps the covenants of the 
lease, even though no buildings interfere, prohibit the making of windows, 
apertures nine inches by six should be opened in the wall near the ceiling 
on both sides. These apertures may be protected by an iron grating to 
break the draught. If the owner objects to the expense of any such altera- 
tions, he may at least have ventilating panes put in the windows and gratings 
in the doors, or insist on the windows being left partially open both by day 
and night. The horses' coats may suffer from the amount of air thus rudely 
introduced by this latter plan, but their health will improve." 

DRAINAGE. 

The drainage and other sanitary conditions are next in 
importance. The flooring of the stable should be above the 
level of the ground outside, and it is advisable to have an air 
space under the building, either open or enclosed. A free 
conduit from the stalls, wash-stands and trouo^hs, terminatins: 
in a cesspool or sewer pipe, is necessary for the removal of 
refuse, dirt, etc. These drains should be so constructed that 
they can be thoroughly cleaned by flushing and with brooms, 
etc. The drain should run for some distance on the surface, 
be U-shaped in form and made of some non-porous material 
such as tile, chiselled stone or wrought iron. (Cast-iron 
drains do not stand rough w^ear and tear, and are constantly 
breaking.) If the drains are almost closed at the top they 
become choked, and, if they receive proper attention, are a 
source of constant care. 



DRAINAGE. 



31 



5'-o-^ 




ceTTieni 



FIG. I. 




FIG. 2. 



The stall drain should be straight and have a fall of one 
inch from within three feet six of the head of the stall to 
the gutter at the rear, which runs at right angles with the 
stall drain. (See Fig. i.) The former should be covered 
with a perforated lid to prevent the straw and other obstruc- 
tions blocking the passage ; and the latter with a wooden 
plank hinged to the floor. (See Fig. 2.) It is essential that 



32 ASPECT AND SITE. 

there should be a trap at the junction of the surface with the 
underground drain to prevent the poisonous gases from the 
sewer pipe or cesspool escaping into the stable. A bell trap 
is the simplest and best for this purpose. 

ASPECT. 

In cities the question of aspect and site is usually subsid- 
iary to those of purse and convenience, but when there is not 
much difference in other respects it will be found desirable, 
if the building is limited to winter use, to choose one in 
which the rear of the stalls has a southern exposure. For 
all the year around an eastern or western aspect is to be 
preferred to one which is either very cold and cheerless in 
winter or very hot during the summer months. The com- 
fort of the horse is so greatly influenced by the conditions 
resulting from the position of his stall that the owner will be 
repaid for having it placed as favorably as circumstances ad- 
mit by the superior physical condition of his horse on ex- 
tremely hot or cold days. 

SITE. 

The situation of the stable, especially in the country, 
will influence the shape of the figures before as well as after 
the decimal point in the monthly bills. A stable placed on 
the northern side of a hill will cost more to heat than one 
exposed to the sun ; and a building surrounded by heavy 
foliage will be damp and injurious to horses, harness and 
carriages. A small amount of continual dampness will cause 
important joints and handsome panels to warp, and the de- 
struction of springs and upholstery will be hastened. With 
the horses the constant presence of moisture in or about a 
stable will be a source of chronic coughs and colds. In the 



WATER SUPPLY. 33 

country, therefore, choose a stable or the site for one on the 
eastern or western side of a hill or slight elevation. The soil 
should be of a gravelly or sandy nature. 

In reference to dampness, Charles Brindley, writing under 
the pseudonym of " Harry Hieover," in the " Pocket and the 
Stud," pages 46, 47, says : 

" I have frequently heard people complain of the damp of their stables, 
and water hanging on the walls. In almost every case this dampness is to be 
got rid of, with the exception of, in some cases, the water on the walls. This 
sometimes arises in stables near the seacoast from the mortar having been 
made with sea sand instead of properly dried material. Such walls will uni- 
versally give in damp weather, or, indeed, when warmed by the heat of the 
horses. In almost all other cases dampness in stables arises either from 
ground damp or want of ventilation. Of this any man may judge from dif- 
ferent circumstances, and generally speaking the remedy need not be at- 
tended with any very serious expense ; drainage and raising the floor will 
mostly have the effect in one instance, and making proper vents for the 
heated vapor to escape near the roof will also nearly always be sufficient in 
the other. Where a stable has the defect described it should be remedied at 
once or the horses taken out of it, for if they are not, sickness will, sooner 
or later, cause double the expense of the remedy." 

WATER SUPPLY. 

An ample water supply is very necessary, as water is so 
largely employed in almost all parts of the stable for clean- 
ing. Cold-water mains should run to the stall part, the 
wash-stand and cleaning room. These supplies should not 
be less than inch pipe and in each case should terminate in a 
faucet with a thread for the attachment of a hose. Hot- 
water pipes should be carried to the stall part for use in 
mixing mashes and to the cleaning room for tempering the 
water used on harness and carriages, but not to the wash- 
stand, as the temptation is then to use it direct for the car- 



34 



HE A TING. 



riages. Hot-water faucets should not have threads for at- 
taching a hose. 




FIG. 3. 



HEATING. 

Whatever system of heating is installed, the pipes or out- 
lets should be limited to the coach house, harness room, 
cleaning room and servants' room. The stall part should 
not be artificially warmed. Horses in warm stables are more 
subject to colds, in consequence of the sudden change in tem- 
perature, than horses in cold stables. Although the latter 
are often unnecessarily uncomfortable, they remain in good 
health. The heating fixtures in the coach house should be so 



INTERIOR DIVISIONS. 



35 



placed that the warm air will be diffused and not directed 
against or under any of the vehicles. A moderate temperature 
is desirable in the coach house, as sudden changes injure the 
highly finished surfaces of carriages. 

INTERIOR DIVISIONS. 

The general arrangement of the various divisions of a 
Stable should be so disposed that the work of putting a 




T^UAN M?? 1. F'L.AN N??;5.. 
A — Entrance and wash-stand. B — Coach houses. A — Entrance and coach house. B — Wash-stand. 
C — Harness room. D — Cleaning room. E — Lav- C — Harness room. D — Cleaning room. E — Lava- 
atory. F — Passageway behind stalls. G — Hay- tory. F — Hay-chute. G — Straw-chute. H — Grain- 
chute. H — Straw-chute. I —Grain-chutes. J — chutes. I — .Mixing trough. K — Stalls. L — Boxes. 
Mixing trough. K — Boxes. L — Stalls. 



36 



THE COACH HOUSE. 



horse in or taking him out of a carriage may be performed 
with the minimum amount of time and labor. As this part 
of the stable work is carried on systematically in its progress- 
ive stages the relative position of the stall room, cleaning 
room, harness room and coach house to each other has be- 
come under ordinary conditions a recognized plan, admit- 
ting of no change without a sacrifice of the practical advan- 
tages. (See Plans i and 2 shown on page 35.) The horse is 
made ready in the stall room and is then led in front of the 
harness and cleaning room, from either of which the harness 
may be brought and placed on the horse ; he is then led 
into the coach house and placed before the 
desired carriage. When returning" to the 
stable the animal is "taken out" and is ao^ain 
brought in front of the harness and cleaning 
rooms; into the latter the harness is taken, 
and the horse is then led into the stall room. 
By this arrangement it will be seen that the 
horse is taken in a straight line from the 
stall room to the coach house or vice versa, 
and that the harness suffers no unnecessary 
handlinof. Thus wear and tear and time are 
saved at no additional expense. 




FIG. 4. 



THE COACH HOUSE. 

The coach house of an average sized 
stable should be fourteen feet or more in 
height, and contain a surface area of about 
seven hundred square feet. When a wash- 
stand for carriages is included in the coach 
house, the floor area should be increased to 



THE COACH HOUSE. 



37 



a thousand square feet. Brick or quadrilled cement makes a 
better floor than wood, as one made of either of the former 
materials can be cleaned with the hose. It is of the greatest 
importance that the coach house should be dry, warm and 
well ventilated, and the windows and doors sufficiently tight 
to keep out dust and dampness. The carriages should be 
protected from the direct rays of the sun by blinds ; unless 




FIG. 5. 
POLE FOR CARRIAGE ROBE. 



there is a special harness and livery room, closets with glass 
doors should be provided in the carriage house. Brackets 
of wood or iron, especially designed for their respective 
purposes, are cheap luxuries and indispensable in the care 
of carriage poles and robes. If the harness cases are made 
very tight they serve tolerably well, but when economy of 
space or money does not have to be too carefully considered, 
it is preferable to have the harness kept in a room shut off by 
doors from other parts of the stable. Poles for carriage 
robes are necessary. They should be from two to three 
inches in diameter, smoothly finished and varnished. When 
space is limited, it is convenient to have these poles hung 
from pulleys so that they may be drawn up out of the way. 



38 THE HARNESS ROOM. 

THE WASH ROOM OR STAND. 

The wash room or stand should be removed as far as 
possible from the carriages and harness. A flooring of brick, 
asphalt, concrete or cement is better than one of wood, and 
should have a good pitch to some free conduit for the waste 
water. At some central point there should be placed a cold- 
water faucet, a hose bracket, a chamois bracket, a wringer 
and a sponge rack. The wash-stand should be well lighted 
on all sides, if possible, by windows, and artificially lighted 
at night or on dark days, as it is manifestly unfair to expect 
a servant to clean a vehicle in the dark or with the light only 
on one side. The objection to having a wash-stand in the 
coach house is that the dampness occasioned by the con- 
stant use of water injures the woodwork of the vehicles, mil- 
dews the leather and tarnishes the metal work. 

THE HARNESS ROOM. 

The harness room should be so designed that the wall 
surface will be unbroken except by a window at one end and 
a door at the other or on the side. The sheathing should 
be of hard wood, tongued and grooved, to keep out dust. It 
is desirable to have the floor of oak. An open fireplace or 
provision for a stove is very necessary in order to protect the 
leather from mildew, the mountings from tarnishing, and the 
bits and other steel from becoming rusty in damp weather. 
Harness cases are unnecessary, except for the purpose of 
storing harness. Such cases do not afford a complete pro- 
tection against dampness. The brackets should be preferably 
of wood. Brackets made of the latter material are less de- 
structive than those made of iron (see figs. 13-16.) 




INTERIOR OF HARNESS ROOM. 



THE WASH-STAND. 



39 




FIG. 7. 
WATER BUCKET. 



FIG. 8. 
WHEEL JACK. 




FIG. 9. 
DRAIN FOR WASH-STAND. 



40 



THE WASH-STAND. 




riG. lo. 

CHAMOIS BRACKET, 




FIG. II. 
WRINGER. 




FIG. 12. 
SPONGE RACK. 



THE HARNESS ROOM. 



41 




FIG. 13. 
REIN BRACKET, 




FIG. 14. 
BRIDLE BRACKET, 



FIG. 15. 
COLLAR BRACKET. 




1 ilii'iP' 
FIG. 16. 
SADDLE BRACKET, 



42 



THE HARNESS ROOM. 




FIG. 17. 
SINGLE BRACKET FOR HARNESS. 




FIG. I. 
WHIP RACK. 



THE HARNESS ROOM. 



43 




\ ,' 



FIG. 19. 




FIG. 20. 



44 THE CLEANING ROOM. 

When the separate fixtures shown in Figs. 13, 14, 15 and 
16 are used the top of the collar bracket (Fig. 15) should be 
eisht feet from the bottom of the floor in order to have the 
ends of the traces clear the floor. The saddle bracket (Fig. 16) 
should be five feet six inches; the bridle bracket (Fig. 14), 
four feet nine. The fixtures for each set of harness should 
be two feet one inch apart. This measurement is taken 
from the centre of one bracket to the centre of the corre- 
sponding one. The rein bracket (Fig. 13) is placed between 
two sets of brackets six feet ten inches from the floor. 

When the single bracket (Fig. 1 7) is used the distance from 
the top of the fixture to the ground should be seven feet. 
It is placed lower than the highest of the separate fixtures 
for the reason that it is more difficult to reach with the bridle 
than with the collar. If the single bracket is placed as di- 
rected it will be found sufficiently high to keep the traces of 
a single set of harness free from the ground, but it necessitates 
the traces of a pair-horse harness being folded up. The dis- 
tance between the centres of the single brackets should be two 
feet. 

Saddle, robe and whip racks (Figs. 5, 18, 19, 20) will 
be required, and unless there be a separate room for livery, 
cases against the wall of this room will be found the most 
convenient substitute. A steel case, five inches deep, two to 
four feet square, lined with green baize and protected by 
glass doors, will reduce the amount of labor required in 
keeping the steels burnished. 

THE CLEANING ROOM. 

A cleaning room is a necessity in all large establish- 
ments, and the writer believes one is an economy in stables 



THE CLEANING ROOM. 



45 





FIG. 2 1. 

HARNESS HOOK WITH 

CHAIN. 




FIG. 2 2. 

HARNESS HOOK WITH 

STRAP. 



46 



THE CLEANING ROOM. 




FIG. 23. 
CLEANING SINK. 




THE STALLS. 47 

of all sizes. For a stable of six or 
more horses, the cleaning room should 
not be less than ten by twelve feet. 
If it can be so placed as to have a 
door opening into the coach house ^'*^- 24- 

or wash-stand at one end, and another into the harness 
room on the side, and a window at the other end, it will 
be situated to the best advantage. It should have such fix- 
tures as a wash-sink, harness hook suspended from the ceil- 
ing, and wooden pegs on which to hang the harness before 
and after it is cleaned. Open shelves placed at either end of 
the room are necessary for pastes, brushes and grooming 
articles, if the latter are kept in the room. A folding table 
(for use in polishing of small articles) should be placed in 
front of the window. A room of this kind is constantly in 
use and concentrates the unavoidable disorder. 

THE STALLS. 

The stalls should measure, exclusive of the heelpost, 
nine or ten feet in length and five feet or five feet six inches 
in width. The partitions should be about four feet six inches 
high and made of oak, deal or elm, set perpendicularly. 
These partitions should be surmounted by an iron railing 
two feet high and extending at least four feet back to prevent 
the horses from annoying one another. It is desirable to 
have this railing made of perpendicular bars. (See Fig. 25.) 
When thus constructed a horse cannot get his lip or tongue 
caught in them, and the railing is more readily kept clean. 
By carrying this grating the full length of the partition the 
chances of a horse's kicking over and becoming caught on 
the dividing woodwork is eliminated. If this precaution is 



48 



THE STALLS. 



not taken the heelpost should not extend above the parti- 
tion or be surmounted by a ball or other finial, as such pro- 
jections render the work of extricating a horse that has 
kicked over the woodwork exceedingly difficult, and often the 
post has to be cut off before it can be accomplished. The 
heelpost should always be round. 

Some authorities advise leaving a small opening between 
the stalls, at the head of and under the partition, in order to 
provide a circuit of ventilation; this plan, in the author's 



A 




























ill'' 

:ii: 
III; 






1 
J 






1 i'i'ii! 


^ 






pa 


\ 




^ 


\ 


s 


^ 


s 


S 


*^ 


^ 


^ 


[** 


•«BBi 




i 




il ii)S 


I 




1 




IP" \ 






II 

is . 

1 V 
h 

1 

1 
i 

if 
t 


















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-Si, 










^ i: 


s 


'~ """' -■ ^ 


IF 1 


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' 




'-'' 


i--' 


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t,^ 


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FIG. 25. 




FIG. 27. 




FIG. 28 



50 THE STALLS. 

opinion, is open to the serious objection of being the cause 
of dangerous draughts in extremely cold weather or when the 
horse is very hot. 

It is of the utmost importance that adequate means be 
made for keeping the bedding as dry as possible, and the 
stalls free from odor by good drainage. Any great difference 
in the plane of the floor is injurious to the horse in conse- 
quence of displacing the centre of gravity, and should there- 
fore be avoided. The most practical method is to have the 
under flooring slope toward the rear of the stall, giving it a 
grade of between one and two inches. (See Fig. 26.) Over 
this floor should be laid slats of wood so finished off on the 
under side as to partly counteract the grade of the under 
flooring. (See Fig. 27.) These slats should be about two 
inches and a half thick and three inches broad. They may 
be of either soft or hard wood; the latter is more economical, 
but the former is considered by some owners to be better for 
the horses' feet. If the slats are strapped together on the 
under side with iron strips, leaving a space of half an inch 
between each slat, the framework can be turned back or 
removed into the open air after having been thoroughly 
washed. (See Fig. 28.) The under flooring is thereby ex- 
posed, and it can be thoroughly cleaned while the slats are 
being dried in the sunshine. 

When the expense is not a 
too serious objection a very 
hard, durable brick, of either im- 
ported or domestic manufacture, 
is largely employed. A wrought- 
I'lo. 29. iron drain running lengthwise 

and flush with the surface of the bricks serves to drain the 




THE LOOSE BOX. 51 

stall. A cheap substitute for bricks is cement, which after 
being put down is quadrilled. Many of the patented devices 
are often combined with the different forms of flooring. The 
writer's preference in the matter of flooring is for that part 
of the stall on which the horse stands to be of wood. To 
make any of the other materials comfortable for the horse 
an extravagant amount of bedding is required, unless peat 
moss is used. 

William Day, the eminent English race-horse trainer, 
advocates the use of the old-fashioned paving stone laid 
down with a proper pitch ; however, his thorough and con- 
scientious supervision renders the use of such simple methods 
practicable, which with less careful attention would be the 
source of constant annoyance. Earth floors are favored by 
some owners, but their use is open to the same objection as 
that of cobblestones. Complicated arrangements, or those 
that require much time or labor on the part of the attendant, 
are undesirable and ineffective for obvious reasons. 

THE LOOSE BOX. 

Loose boxes are considered better for horses than stalls. 
The original outlay is not very much greater, but they are 
more costly to bed down ; twice as much straw being required, 
and its consumption is proportionately more rapid owing to 
the greater soiling surface offered, which renders the drainage 
less perfect. For ordinary purposes a box measuring lo x 12 
is large enough. The doors should either slide laterally on 
the outside or open outward ; never into the boxes, as the 
door could not be opened should a horse lie against it. The 
boxes which are intended for use in case of sickness should 
be somewhat larger (12 x 14 or 16 feet), in order to allow 



52 



PASSAGEWAY BEHIND STALLS. 




fk;. 30. 

room for the veterinary surgeon and stable attendants to 
move about. These boxes should be distinctly separate 
from the other accornmodations of the horses, and furnished 
with a system of ventilation direct with the open air. A 
double door, consisting of an upper and lower half, is often 
useful for such boxes. 



PASSAGEWAY BEHIND STALLS. 

The space behind the stalls and boxes should be at least 
ten feet in width to allow the horse ample space in which to 
turn. The flooring should be of brick or cement quadrilled 
to give the horse a good footing while being dressed or in 



CHUTES. 



53 





PLAN I. 

ELEVATION OF HAY AND STRAW 

CHUTE. A. 

A. Hay-chute. B. 

B. Straw-chute. 

C and D. Doors sliding into a tight C. 

pocket behind sheathing E. D. 

H. Pulley cords with weights on in- E. 
side of sheathing E for equal- 
izing weight of doors C and F. 
D. G. 



PLAN 2. 

SECTION OF GRAIN- CHUTE. 

Chute. 

Inclined board by which grain is 

directed into middle of bin D. 
Slide to shut off supply of grain. 
Delivery bin. 
Inclined boards at all corners to 

facilitate cleaning. 
Hinged lid of bin. 
Open shelves for bandages, brushes, 

liniments, etc. 



54 DOORS AND STALL WLNDOWS. 

passing in or out. The surface of a wooden floor soon be- 
comes very slippery. Against the wall of this passage there 
should be a faucet to which a hose can be attached for sup- 
plying water to the horses and for washing out the stalls. 
Blanket poles, pillar reins, sponge and brush racks should 
also be provided. At one end of this passageway a section 
the size of a stall should be fitted with shoots for fodder and 
bedding somewhat as shown in Plans i and 2. 

DOORS. 

All doors through which the horses have to pass should 
be free from projecting latches, etc. In width they should be 
not less than four feet, and seven feet six inches high; eight 
or nine feet is preferable. 

STALL WINDOWS. 

The windows at the heads of stalls should be so arranged 
that the horses can look out, but when thus placed some pro- 
vision must be made either on the inside or outside to pre- 
vent the bright sunlight from shining on the horse's eyes. 
Low windows without curtains or hoods are especially ob- 
jectionable in ordinary stalls, as the horses are usually so 
fastened that it is impossible for them to avoid this injurious 
annoyance. High windows, nine feet from the floor, are 
better than the low ones, if no protection is afforded. The 
writer believes a horse's mind is kept keener when he is thus 
allowed to see passing objects than when tied against a blank 
wall ; and his eyesight is certainly not strained as is that 
of a horse which is taken from a dark stall into the bright 
daylight. 



FLY SCREENS. 



55 



The various forms of window construction and windows 
is described by Sir Fitzwygram as follows : 

" Four sorts of windows are commonly used in stables of the better class, 
namely : First, the ordinary sash windows, which, if furnished with ropes and 
pulleys, so as to let down easily from the top, answer well enough. They are, 
however, open to the objection that a direct draught may come on the 
horses, and on this account it is often necessary to close them altogether at 
night and in cold, windy weather. A couple of panes of perforated glass are 

useful in such windows. Second, windows 
which turn on a pivot in the centre. These 
may be set open to any required degree. They 
are the cheapest construction and answer well 
enough, especially where many small windows 
are used ; but they are in some degree open 
to the objection of causing a direct draught on 
the horses. Third, windows which do not open 
wholly, but are furnished with glass louvres, are 
used in some stables. They are objectionable 
inasmuch as they are not calculated to admit a 
sufficient amount of air. Fourth, windows 

rl j] jj ij — -V working on hinges at the bottom, as shown in 
I I 1 I plan annexed, may be made to open to any 
FIG. 31. required degree. They offer every advantage. 

They afford ample ventilation, yet do not throw 
a direct draught on the horses. They should be blocked so as to prevent 
their closing within six inches of the top. As no direct draught can come 
on the horses when they are closed to this degree, the author thinks that 
no injurious result can ever arise from their being left open to the above 
degree at all times and at all seasons. There should be a window over 
the head of each horse two feet six inches in width and three feet in 
height." 

FLY SCREENS. 

Charles Brindley, in "The Pocket and the Stud," remarks : 

" I always had a movable frame made to fit the window on the inside ; 

on this I stretched the same kind of open material that is used for meat safes ; 




56 HAYRACKS AND MANGERS. 

the windows can then be left open and those positive pests to a stable in sum- 
mer, the flies, are thus excluded. But I went a little further than this, and, as 
the expense is not more than twenty shillings once in half as many years, I ven- 
ture to recommend it. I had also a framed door on which the same mate- 
rial as that for the extra window frames was stretched. This opened the re- 
verse way to the usual stable door. It was made to take on and ofif the 
hinges, so that in hot weather the close door could be fastened open and the 
stable kept cool. This, of course, can only be done where the stable is in a 
secure situation ; but where it can, it is a great convenience at times in ex- 
tremely hot weather." 

HAYRACKS. 

The old-fashioned habit of placing the hayrack high 
above the horses' heads has been almost entirely discontinued, 
as it compelled the horse to eat in an unnatural and con- 
strained position. In addition, it had the more serious fault 
of causing the horse's eyesight to be endangered by the pro- 
jecting spears of hay. If the hay is not chopped up into 
chaff, it is better to place it on the floor. The objection to a 
low rack is that the horse may get his foot over it and become 
injured in trying to free himself. An occasional accident of 
this nature is more expensive than the possible daily waste 
of a small amount of hay caused by the horse trampling it 
under foot. 

MANGERS. 

Mangers have been greatly improved during the last few 
years, and well-constructed ones are now offered at almost 
half the price asked a few years ago for the old clumsy pat- 
terns. They should be of a non-porous material, made with- 
out angles on the inside and with an opening in the bottom 
so that they can be washed out. The so-called " slow feed- 
ing " patterns are not especially desirable for general use, as 
they do not actually prevent the horse from bolting his food. 



MANGERS. 



57 




FIG. 32. 
WITH WIDE FOOD GUARD IN FRONT. 




m 



/ 



fmmwmM^^m 



W\ 



FIG. 33. 



58 METAL FITTINGS, LATCHES, LOCKS, ETC. 

Those made with a flange on the inside of the upper edge 
prevent the scattering of grain, (See Fig. 32.) Fittings 
are made with the manger and hayrack combined (see Fig. 
33), but are undesirable, owing to the space underneath, 
which makes it possible for a horse to get caught in 
getting up. 

METAL FITTINGS. 

If the sum devoted to the maintenance of a stable is 
small in proportion to the number of horses kept, it is advis- 
able to avoid the use of much brass work, as this metal re- 
quires an extravagant amount of time and labor to keep it in 
good condition, and an appearance of neatness can be much 
more economically effected by the use of galvanized or 
painted iron. The latter may be of some chosen stable color, 
such as red, green, blue or yellow, or a combination of any of 
these colors. A few moments' time on rainy days with a pot 
and brush will enable the stable servants to obtain results 
that would require as many moments each day if the metal 

parts were of brass. If iron is 
used, the railings on stall par- 
titions, the mangers, the hinges, 
pillar- rein rings, harness hooks, 
etc., should be painted. 

LATCHES, LOCKS, ETC. 

All latches, locks, bolts, 
rinor and hinoes should be of 
the simplest design and so ar- 
FiG. 34- ranged that they offer no pro- 

jecting surfaces on which a horse can injure himself. Spring 
latches and bolts are not desirable, as any failure on the 




HAY AND GRAIN LOFT. 59 

part of the groom to properly fasten the horses or doors is 
blamed on the mechanism of the locks, snaps, etc. A 
plain, simple catch which requires the attention of the 
attendant is the most durable, effective and inexpensive. 
(See Fig. 34.) A couple of round poles set up vertically on 
either side of the doorway and made to revolve on pins 
will prevent the horse from being injured in passing through 
the opening, for the reason that should the animal come 
in contact with either side of the doorway the surface will 
turn in the direction the horse is moving. In old stables a 
thorough examination of the walls and posts should be made 
for projecting hooks and nails ; and when and wherever 
found they should be immediately removed. 

HAY AND GRAIN LOFT. 

The hayloft is best located when over the horses' heads. 
When thus situated it insures quiet and acts as a noncon- 
ductor of heat and cold. The flooring should be double 
boarded. It is a great nuisance to have the loft so placed 
that the hay has to be carried through a passage to the 
chute or has to be dropped into the stall part. Chutes for 
hay and straw, measuring two feet deep and four feet wide, 
with a sliding door the full width, should extend from the 
loft to the passage back of the stalls. The bins for grain 
should deliver directly into the same part. The bottoms of 
these bins should slope from the four sides to the centre with 
a pitch of four inches to the foot. As a protection against 
the ravages of mice, rats, rodents and other grain-devouring 
creatures, these boxes and the shafts should be lined with 
tin. Extending from the top of the loft door there should 
be a beam upon which a block and tackle can be fastened for 



60 SERVANTS' ACCOMMODATIONS, PADDOCK. 

the purpose of hoisting hay, straw and grain into the build- 
ing. Without this convenience the exterior of the stable 
about the loft door is apt to be disfigured by the bumping of 
the bale sticks. 

servants' accommodations. 

The room or rooms for servants in the upper part of the 
stable ought not to be less than lo x 12 feet. In the city 
many stables are furnished with apartments consisting of the 
necessary rooms and equipped with stationary household 
furnishings such as would be required by the family of a 
married man. The livino^ rooms should not be over the 
horses' heads, as the animals are more regular in their habits 
than the best of servants, and the horses, after having quieted 
down for the night, should not be disturbed. 

When possible, a closet and washstand should be placed 
on the first floor as well as in the upper part of the building 
for the convenience of the servants. 

PADDOCK. 

In country stables it is convenient to have a paddock, con- 
sisting of a space seventy-five feet or more square, enclosed 
with stout posts and planks four feet six or five feet high. 
The paddock should be placed on the southern side of the 
stable, and it is convenient to have the entrance from the aisle 
behind the stalls or between the boxes. Into this enclosure 
horses may be turned for an airing or a straw ring built in 
it for exercising the horses in winter. 

INSURANCE. 

Immediately upon a stable being occupied, insurance on 
it and its contents should be taken out. The rate is very 



INSURANCE. 



61 



low considering the risk that any carelessness or negligence 
incurs. The very faults — drunkenness, stupidity, etc. — to 
which stable hands are prone make this risk very great, 
especially in country stables where it is necessary to use 
lamps. In almost all instances in which fire occurs in coun- 
try establishments the building and most of its contents are 
destroyed. 




CHAPTER V. 

CARRIAGES. 

DEVELOPMENT, CONSTRUCTION, COST, WEIGHT, TYPES, 
AND APPOINTMENTS. 




In the use of 
equipage we are the 
youngest of the 
civilized nations. 
Not more than two 
Q^enerations as^o the 
number of private 
vehicles in any one 
town could be 
counted upon the 
fingers ; and in many large Western cities, whose develop- 
ment was subsequent to the invention of the "trolley," this 
public means of conveyance has delayed the introduction 
of the private carriage almost to the extent of exclusion. 
Some of our great-grandparents owned coaches, the elabo- 
rateness of which has since never been approached. Many 
of these coaches were imported, and represented the highest 
development of the coach builder's art. 

It may be asked, if having started on even terms with the 
mother country, and having at our command the advantages 
of superior qualities of wood for the construction of vehicles, 
why are the designs of the majority of our carriages in- 



CARRIAGES. 63 

ferior to those of foreign manufacture ? The cause may be 
attributed to the fact that, as a nation, our ideas have only 
recently been formulated into definite shape regarding the 
types of vehicles best suited for certain purposes. Prior to 
a generation ago, the conditions were not conducive to the 
development of the coach builder's art, owing to the following 
circumstances: First, the tardy development of our roads; 
second, the disturbed political conditions that prevailed ; 
third, the general abnegation of all luxuries by those who 
were struggling for wealth ; and fourth, the errors committed 
by coach builders, who, with but few exceptions, turned out 
vehicles according to antiquated or defective local standards 
or endeavored to overcome the faults of our roads by con- 
trivances that resulted in vehicular aberrations. A few of 
the more conservative builders, however, realized that a bad 
road could not be made good by. changing the principles of 
carriage construction ; they knew that, when the roads 
were properly made, their vehicles would meet all the 
requirements. 

The adaptability of our people is nowhere more dis- 
tinctly evident than in the building of our better types of 
carriages. We have united the simple and practical design 
of the English builders with the perfection of detail that was 
developed by the French artisan, and our native forests and 
skilled labor have added the best material and workmanship; 
with the result that our carriages have been recognized as 
superior to those of any other country. It is to be regretted, 
however, that the cheaper grades, with which the market 
is flooded, should impede the merits of the finest vehicles 
from becoming more generally recognized in our own 
country. 



64 CARRIAGES. 

As an art, carriage building is successfully carried on by 
only a few firms ; as an industry, it offers profitable invest- 
ment for many millions of dollars. Discouraging proof of 
the mediocre standard is afforded by the relatively small 
proportion of conservative firms producing carriages of the 
best material after lines from well chosen models. Most 
coach builders know what designs are good and what are 
bad. They are also quite as well aware that good materials, 
workmanship and design are secondary considerations with 
an ignorant customer, to the attractions of vanishing seats, 
sweeping curves and the " tallyho for one horse," in produc- 
ing the impression that the purchaser is "getting his money's 
worth." For this reason dealers are forced to carry a stock 
of " our latest novelty " creations, though they would prefer to 
sell only what they know to be of good design. 

Before purchasing a carriage it is advisable to become 
familiar with the general principles of carriage construction, 
together with the different names of the parts and the various 
types as represented by standard designs. A general knowl- 
edge of the construction enables the prospective buyer to 
discern differences between two apparently similar vehicles 
that otherwise would be unobserved. The purchaser, in order 
to intelligibly express his appreciation of these differences to 
a coach builder, must become conversant with the technical 
nomenclature. By having the various types definitely sepa- 
rated in his mind, he is the better able to detect in what de- 
tails and to what extent the vehicle he is inspecting differs 
from the best design of the same type. In order that the 
reader may form some idea of wherein lies the true worth of 
a vehicle, the following description of carriage construction 
is briefly given : 




THE FIRST BROUGHAM CONSTRUCTED. 




'bus of STANDARD DESIGN. 



VARIETIES OF WOOD — DRAWINGS. 65 

SEASONING OF THE WOOD, 

The wood that is employed by the best builders is sub- 
mitted to a long and thorough course of seasoning before be- 
coming composite parts of a carriage. Formerly, time alone 
rendered the wood proof against shrinkage, etc., and it was 
kept in its raw state for a period varying between two and 
three years. The drying kiln has greatly shortened the time 
required for seasoning the woods used in manufacturing the 
cheaper grades of carriages. The materials thus treated have 
all the sap driven out and- the fibre compressed by the appli- 
cation of pressure varying between ten and fifteen tons to 
the square inch. 

VARIETIES OF WOOD. 

The varieties of wood that are employed in carriage 
building and the purposes for which they are used are here 
given in tabular form : 

For the under-carriage, white and red hearted ash. 

For the naves or hubs of wheels, elm. 

For the spokes, hickory and oak saplings. 

For the flooring, deal, fir and pine. 

For the roofing, fir. 

For the panelling, mahogany, cedar, birch, walnut and chestnut. 

For wooden rims of wheels, ash, hickory and beach. 

For the framework of the body, ash. 

For shafts, ash. 

For poles, ash. 

DRAWINGS. 
After considering and fixing upon a scheme for some ve- 
hicle, first as a whole and then the proper relationship of the 
subordinate details, the designers commit their scheme to 
paper in a rough drawing. When a carriage is to be built a 



66 WHEELS AND THE UNDER-CARRIAGE. 

full-sized scale drawing is rendered upon a blackboard from 
which the working drawing is made. 

WHEELS. 

The wheels are usually given a " dish," i. e., all of the 
spokes are bent slightly outward, so that when the tire is put 
on it does not line with the centre of the nave. The extent 
of this curve has been determined by what experience has 
shown to be productive of the best results. More strength 
and elasticity are thus given to the wheels. When the wheel 
is given this dish, the arm or end of the axle is correspond- 
ingly bent downward from the shoulder. Unless this is 
done, the dishing of the wheel acts, in a degree, as an im- 
pediment in traction. 

THE UNDER-CARRIAGE. 

The under-carriage is formed of various sized timbers 
which connect the four wheels and offer a support for the 
body. These timbers have no broad surfaces, as they are as 
deep or deeper than they are wide, and are joined by dowel- 
ling, iron braces, bolts and so forth. The under-carriage is 



A 

— S- 



B B 

tiG. 35- 

A ROLLER BOLTS. B — FUCHELLS. 



of three kinds, the long perch, demanding much room in 
turning, the short perch and the crane neck ; the latter 
two were devised to facilitate the performance of this require- 



AXLES. 67 

ment. The fore part of the under-carriage is attached to the 
back section by means of two semicircular plates, one bearing 
and turning over the other and secured by a perch bolt pass- 
ing through the centre. 

AXLES, 

The axle-trees comprise the most important part of the 
under-carriage. The light axle-trees are made of a single 
solid shaft of iron ; but for heavier vehicles this part is com- 
posed of numerous bands of "scrap" iron firmly "fagoted" 
or welded together. An axle-tree is technically divided into 
three parts : the two arms and the bed, or that portion which 
connects the arms together. The axle-tree arms are usually 
conical, but in some patterns they are made cylindrical. On 
the upper surface a groove is cut to receive the oil and the 
ends are threaded to fit the nuts which keep the wheel in 
place. The common axle (see Fig. 36) is the only kind that 
can be employed where lightness is sought, but for heavier 
vehicles it is inferior in some respects to the Collinge and 
Mail axles. 

THE COLLINGE AXLE. 

The Collinge axle consists of a cylindrical arm with a 
flanged collar at the shoulder. A short distance from the 
collar the diameter of the arm gradually diminishes and then 
continues in cylindrical shape, with an oil groove on the upper 
surface, until within a few inches of the end ; here it is ab- 
ruptly reduced in diameter. The diminished part is made 
flat on top to receive the "D" slide or collet that is 
pressed against the thick portion of the axle box. Beyond 
this part which takes the " D " slide the axle arm is further 
reduced and threaded the width of a nut. At the end of 



68 AXLES. 

the thread the arm is again made smaller and a thread cut 
the reverse way to the preceding one. In the end of the 
arm is drilled a hole through which a linchpin is driven 
after the wheel is in place. The inner rim of the axle box 
fits inside of the flange of the collar of the arm, and a bevelled 
surface on the inside of the axle box fits against that of the 
arm. The wheel being put on, the collet is placed over 
the small flattened part of the arm and is there held in place 
with a set nut by which " the play " of the wheel is adjusted. 
The set nut having been properly located, a jam nut is screwed 
on the reverse way and holds the set nut firmly in place. As 
an additional precaution a linchpin is driven through the 
end of the arm. The oil cup, after being half filled with oil, 
is screwed on by means of a thread that fits into a correspond- 
ing one on the inside of the axle box. (See Fig. 2>1^ 

The advantages of the Colli nge axle are that the wheel is 
held very securely in place and the arm is kept constantly 
lubricated in consequence of the oil being drawn from the oil 
cup to the surface of the arm as the wheel revolves. The oil 
may be replenished without removing the wheel by unscrew- 
ing the oil cup and filling it half full. As the adjustment of 
the set and jam nuts is a matter requiring delicate manipula- 
tion, it is usually done by an experienced man from the coach 
builder's. The full Collinge is the best and only form of this 
design that is thoroughly satisfactory. 

THE MAIL AXLE. 

In the Mail axle a circular disk called the moon plate 
revolves behind the collar of the axle arm. Holes are drilled 
through the plate to receive the iron bolts which pass through 
the hub, and any play between the moon plate and the collar 



AXLES. 



69 



■■■^^^^^^^^ 




FIG. 36. 
PLAIN AXLE ARM AND AXLE BOX. 




FIG. 37. 
COLLINGE AXLE ARM AND AXLE BOX. 




FIG. 38. 
MAIL AXLE ARM AND BOX. 



70 



SPRINGS. 




FIG. 39, C SPRING. FIG. 40, PLATFORM SPRING. FIG. 4 1, SIDE SPRING. 
FIG. 42, ELLIPTIC SPRING. FIG. 43, CROSS SPRING. 



SPRINGS. 71 

is taken up by a leather washer. On the outer side of the 
collar another leather washer is placed. A short distance 
from this point the axle arm bevels down to a smaller diameter 
and continues in conical shape (diminishing one-eighth of 
an inch to a foot) to the end. A thread is cut on the end of 
the axle box and over it the oil cup is screwed. 

The wheel having been put on, a nib or projecting metal 
point on the back of the hub fits into a hole in the moon 
plate and retains the latter in a proper position to receive 
the three iron bolts. On the outer face of the hub an iron 
plate is placed over these bolts, and firmly held by nuts 
which screw on to the projecting bolt ends. The other ends 
of the bolt pass through the moon plate and are there fastened 
as in front. The metal rim on the back of the hub extends 
over the rim of the moon plate and thus protects the arm from 
dust and dirt. The use of the Mail axle is chiefly confined 
to certain types of sporting vehicles. (See Fig. 38.) 

SPRINGS. 

In the making of good springs skilled workmen are em- 
ployed to draw the pieces to the required shape and dimen- 
sions and in tempering and setting them. All this work 
requires considerable experience and judgment in order to 
render corresponding parts of the springs of equal resistance. 
Upon the uniformity of one part with another in the matter 
of elasticity depends the even resistance and balance of the 
springs when acted upon by the weight of the body. The 
best quality steel springs are only made stiff enough to with- 
stand any strain that may reasonably be expected will be 
brought to bear upon them. By this method almost the en- 
tire range of elasticity in the spring is obtained under ordi- 



72 BODY BUILDING AND PAINTING. 

nary conditions. A spring of this quality used on a run-about 
will support little more than the weight of two persons, but 
all the elasticity in the spring will be brought into play. 
The less carefully made springs are constructed to resist 
great weight in case of an emergency, and until that weight 
has been approached the spring remains comparatively stiff. 

BODY BUILDING. 

Body building requires a more intelligent class of artisans 
than any other branch of carriage construction. In the exe- 
cution of this part of the carriage, it is of the greatest impor- 
tance that the material and labor should be of the very best. 
The apparently unwarranted discrepancy in the price of two 
vehicles is frequently due to the body of the cheaper one 
being inferior in material and workmanship, both of which 
qualities are to the novice almost entirely concealed by paint. 
To produce the strength and high finish that are attained in 
the upper part of the carriage the greatest thoroughness, ac- 
curacy and delicacy are necessary. The framework is scarfed 
and made tight at the joints with white lead and further 
^strengthened by wooden brackets, iron plates and braces. 
The body is then built up with various shaped panels. Those 
that are to be curved have the side that is to be made convex 
dampened and the other exposed to some form of heat until 
bent to the desired shape, which is retained by glue, strips of 
canvas and braces. 

PAINTING. 

The actual construction being now completed, all the wood- 
work is smoothed over preparatory to receiving such priming 
coats as will afford a good foundation for the ultimate shade 
or tint. For the preservation of the polished surface it is of 




VICTORIA OF STANDARD DESIGN. 




PANEL-BOOT VICTORIA OF STANDARD DESIGN. 



TRIMMINGS — TRA CTION— BALANCE. 73 

the utmost importance that each coat of varnish should thor- 
oughly harden before succeeding ones are added. The 
proper time for painting monograms or blazoning coats of 
arms is before the finishing coat of varnish has been laid on ; 
but, as few carriages are built to order, the monograms or 
crests are painted over the finishing coat and then lightly 
varnished. 

TRIMMINGS. 

The tendency is now to do away with all the more per- 
ishable trimmings, such as lacework, etc., and leather is used 
for lining in many instances in preference to cloth. The box 
seats of broughams, victorias, etc., are cloth covered, made 
perfectly even, and given a slight forward pitch. Formerly 
the seat of the coachman was raised above that of the groom 
by a box. The color of the cloth with which the seat is cov- 
ered should be determined by the color of the livery. 

TRACTION. 

In purchasing a vehicle, whether a four-wheeler or a cart, 
the principles of the laws governing traction should be borne 
in mind, the chief of which are, the smaller the wheels (ex- 
cept in ascending hills) and the greater the distance between 
the front and the hind wheels, the heavier the draught; the 
power is diminished in multiple ratio as it is removed from 
the weight upon which it acts, hence an extended under-car- 
riage is objectionable as it forces the horses farther from 
their work. 

BALANCE. 

In all two-wheelers it is essential that they should be heav- 
ier in proportion than four-wheelers, for the sake of obtaining 
stability. The most important qualification that all of these 



74 DESIGN. 

vehicles should possess is perfect balance ; without which 
the horse and man both suffer much discomfort. The pur- 
chaser should have the same number of persons get into the 
cart that he intends it to carry ; he should remain on the 
floor and note at exactly what height from the ground the 
tug places on the shafts are, when the vehicle is so balanced 
that the shafts can be tipped back or lowered by the fore- 
fingers alone. This distance should be the same as that from 
the centre of the horse's body near the withers to the ground. 
When thus balanced, the seats should not tip either forward 
or backward. Too much stress cannot be laid upon the im- 
portance of securing a perfectly balanced cart, as without bal- 
ance they are the most uncomfortable contrivances ever 
invented ; but when rightly built and drawn by a horse of 
proper size, they are as easy riding as any simple four- 
wheeler. 

DESIGN. 

The design determines primarily the character of the 
vehicle. No amount of paint or metal work will alter the 
relation of the various parts to one another, nor change the 
lines. There are certain laws which should govern the design 
of all types of vehicles, and it depends upon the degree of 
strictness with which these laws have been observed in cre- 
ating the composition whether the design is good, bad or 
indifferent. These laws are proportion, simplicity and har- 
mony. In whatever detail the carriage falls short of meet- 
ing the demands of utility or symmetry, it will be found that 
one or more of these laws has been ignored. 

Every vehicle should truthfully convey to the eye the 
purpose for which it is intended : i. e., a road wagon by its 



CONSTRUCTION. T^i 

form of construction should indicate that lightness is desired ; 
a brougham must be so made that solidity and comfort are 
suggested as being the characteristics. The vehicle should 
be practically heavy enough to fulfil the most important 
requirements, but any extreme which is displeasing to the 
eye must be modified to an extent which will convey a pleas- 
ing impression of harmony and appropriateness. The same 
holds true as applied to the separate parts. Wheels that are 
or seem to be relatively too light or too heavy for the body, 
or vice versa, detract from the effect of unity. 

The advantage of having a well designed carriage is two- 
fold. First, if for any reason the carriage is sold, it will be 
found that, being free from any of the absurdities of a special 
period, a prospective purchaser will be more attracted to it 
than to one which cannot conceal the date of its unfortunate 
creation. Second, a carriage with a standing market value is 
an asset, which may be advantageously turned to account It 
may be as well to insert here a word regarding the approxi- 
mate values that different vehicles command at auction. 
Any vehicle sells for less at the end of its season than at the 
beginning; i.e., a brougham would fetch less in June than 
it would in October, while the reverse would be the case with 
a victoria. The more expensive the type the fewer will be 
the bidders ; and for this reason it often happens that a vic- 
toria will not bring more than a gig. Unusual designs have 
almost no market value. 

CONSTRUCTION. 

In construction the carriage should be as free as possible 
from any corners or pockets made by springs, etc., which 
prevent a chamois from being readil}^ inserted. This point 



76 COLOR. 

is of more importance than at first may be thought, as a ser- 
vant will not give the time and labor required in drying 
these places. The result in such cases is that not only are 
the surfaces allowed to remain wet, but the dampness thus 
retained is gradually absorbed by other parts. 

COLOR. 

Dark colors are preferable for all non-sporting vehicles. 
The lower panels of the body of those carriages that are 
driven by a servant in livery, when the livery is other than 
drab color or whipcord, are preferably of the same color as 
that of the livery, i. c, black, maroon, dark green or dark 
blue. The colors of the under-carriage of non-sporting 
vehicles are usually dark and either relieved by striping or 
are plain. They should harmonize with those of the body, 
unless the owner is controlled by some family or stable color. 
Reds, like vermilion, or yellows, like primrose, are the suit- 
able colors for the running gear of sporting vehicles. 

That part of the shafts which is not covered with leather 
is painted to correspond with the running gear. Usually 
the shafts of sporting vehicles have no leather covering. 
For non-sporting vehicles that part of the pole back of 
the padding is painted to correspond with the running gear 
and is black from the padding to the end of the pole. For 
sporting vehicles the padding is usually omitted, in which 
case the entire length of the pole and whiffle-trees or splinter- 
bars are painted the same as the running gear. The neck- 
yoke should be black. 

The harmonizing of the colors of the various parts of the 
carriage determines the general effect. The introduction 
of new shades or startling combinations of colors should be 



METAL WORK — THE POLE. 77 

avoided. In the application of the striping it is essential 
that the lines should be uniform in size and the ends finished 
squarely off. Good varnish is hard, lustrous and free from 
spots 

METAL WORK. 

All exposed metal work that is used purely for construc- 
tional purposes is painted. The pole head, however, is more 
often of steel. The silver or brass mountings should corre- 
spond with the livery buttons and the furniture of the harness. 
At the present time there is a tendency to reduce the amount 
of silver or brass trimmings on all carriages, as, for instance, 
in the highest types of broughams the only trimmings of 
silver or brass are the door handles, the strip around the driv- 
ing seat and the reflectors of the lamps, the latter always 
being silver plated. In all sporting vehicles, excepting the 
road coach, such mountings as are subject to friction should 
be of steel. 

THE POLE. 

A pole should be absolutely free from flaws, and strong 
enough to withstand any forward pressure with more than a 
corresponding amount of resistance. Special stress is laid 
upon the selection of a pole, as any defect of a serious char- 
acter is likely to result in a fatal accident. In all pair-horse 
carriages, except when a brake exists, the pole is the sole 
means of retarding the forward impetus and of controlling 
the direction of the carriage. Should the pole break in con- 
sequence of some defect or undue pressure being brought to 
bear, only a chance obstacle can prevent the splinter-bars 
from runninor on the hocks of the horses, in which event a 
runaway and smash-up are almost inevitable. The same fatal 



78 POLE TOPS AND HOOKS. 

conditions may be brought about by a pole that is too weak 
for the weight of the carriage. 

POLE TOPS AND POLE HOOKS. 

The pole top, i. e., the metal arms and pole end or socket, 
to which the pole chains or pieces are attached, is made either 
stationary or of the swivel pattern. Even for pair-horse work 
it is desirable to have the arms movable, moderately long 
and turned slightly back. 

"The best pole chains are those one end of which is fastened to a langet, 
frequently called a bridle, which slips over the end of the pole back and 
fits into its place at the end of the pole head, the other end of the pole chain 
having a long hook. This langet, being continually on the move, keeps the 
horse's shoulders fresh, whereas the fixed langet, to which the pole chains are 
fastened by rivets and nuts, gives no play at all, and is also dangerous, inas- 
much that the nuts and rivets must wear in time." — ''Driving,'" p. gg, Bad- 
minion Library. 

For broughams, victorias and similar carriages the ends 
of the arms terminate in oblong eyes, through which the 
pole pieces are drawn. The pole ends for the non-sporting 
type of vehicles are frequently japanned and the eyes 
covered with leather, but such pole ends are more often of 
burnished steel. 

For the private coach, mail phaeton and other pair-horse 
vehicles with which pole chains are used, the ends of the 
arms are made much smaller and hold the rings through 
which the pole chain runs. 

The metal pole end, when intended for a four-horse 
vehicle, is provided with a hook extending some distance in 
front ; the end, terminating in an eye, is carried back over 




TWO TYPES OF POLE-ENDS. 

The upper illustration shows the type of Pole-End used with Pole- Pieces, and the lower one 
that for use with Pole-Chains. 



POLE CHAINS AND POLE PIECES. 79 

the pole. A strap, somewhat like a hame strap, is passed 
through this eye and a similar one riveted to the pole; by 
this means the main bar is prevented from becoming 
detached. The pole hook when used on a road coach is 
japanned, and the use of shackles, bolts and nuts, instead of 
the eye and ring, is a characteristic distinction very often 
seen. 

POLE CHAINS AND POLE PIECES. 

For some reason, unknown to the writer, the chains and 
leather pole pieces, used for fastening the horses to the pole, 
are considered part of a pair-horse vehicle and are therefore 
always included in the asking price. As the pole chains 
should be of steel and of the simple cable link pattern, there 
is no objection to their being provided by the coach builder; 
but with the pole pieces the case is different. These should 
match the harness, in the stitching, the type of keepers and 
buckles. Their construction is in no way different from 
other parts of a harness, and it seems as though there was 
every reason for, and none against, purchasing them from 
the harness dealer. The majority of carriage firms will fur- 
nish any particular kind desired if the purchaser emphasizes 
the request 

THE NECK YOKE. 

The neck yoke (see Fig. 44) is frequently used on the 
poles of light pair-horse vehicles as it affords a means, when 
desired, of exerting at right angles to the pole a resistance 
to the forward pressure of the carriage. The resistance 
thus directed is more effective than that exerted obliquely by 
pole chains or pole pieces attached to the short arms of the 
pole end. The neck yoke is joined to the pole by means of a 



80 NECK YOKE — PNEUMATIC AND CUSHION TIRES. 




FIG. 44. 
THE NECK YOKE. 

circular piece of leather, which fits over the end of the pole 
against a flange and is held in place by a point-strap which 
fastens into a buckle riveted to the top of the pole. The 
length of the neck ygke from tip to tip should be about three 
feet four inches. 

PNEUMATIC AND CUSHION TIRES. 

The additional comfort that is derived from the use of 




FIG. 45- 
THE CUSHION TIRE.* 

Used by permission of the New England Rubber Tire Wheel Company. 




POLE-END FOR ROAD COACH. 
With Chains fastened to the Langet by Shackles, Bolts and Nuts. 



THE CHOICE OF A CARRIAGE. 81 

rubber tires on heavy vehicles, and pneumatic or cushion 
ones on the Hghter types, has so greatly offset the item of 
original outlay and cost of constant renewals that they are 
now to be seen on the majority of pleasure carriages. It is 
claimed, and with truth, that the life of a carriage is greatly 
prolonged by being relieved of much of the wear and tear 
caused by the vibration incident to vehicles not so equipped. 
Unless the carriage is fitted with rubber tires when bought, 
it is an economy to use it as it came from the builder until 
the ordinary iron tire is worn down, as new iron rims have to 
be put on to hold the rubber. 

THE CHOICE OF A CARRIAGE. 

When we are comparing simply the relative merits of 
two articles it is unfair to our better judgment to be blinded 
by any passing fancy or other prejudice. In choosing a 
carriage, the selection should be made of the one that is the 
most practical in construction and that best satisfies the eye 
of an intelligent and refined person, i.e„ a vehicle of a stand- 
ard design. 

In purchasing carriages the importance of buying the 
best should be paramount to every other consideration, even 
to the quality of the harness and horses, if needs be. A 
broken trace is less likely to cause a fatal accident than is 
the giving way of defective springs, axle or pole. The pur- 
chase of unreasonably cheap vehicles is one of the most 
ephemeral economies a person indulges in, and, as events too 
often prove, the greatest folly he can commit. In many 
instances such mistakes are made more from ignorance of 
the danger incurred than from any parsimony. 

Thus a customer, havinor reduced his choice to one of 



82 THE CHOICE OF A CARRIAGE. 

two carriages, comes to the question of price : one is a quarter 
or a half more than the other. To the inexperienced critic 
there is nothing in the outward appearances to warrant this 
difference in value, and he takes it for granted that the 
essential parts, the wheels, under-carriage and body, of the 
two carriages are of equally good material and workmanship. 
Believing what he hopes to be so is so, he attributes the 
difference in price as due to more expensive upholstery or 
some equally unimportant detail. The result is, with what 
would be praiseworthy economy were he right in his conjec- 
ture, he chooses the cheaper and inferior vehicle. Constant 
bills for repairs soon prove the fallacy of his opinion. 

As the superiority of one carriage over another is often 
due to the excellence of the material that is hidden by paint, 
the buyer draws his conclusions regarding the quality of 
such material from the reputation the dealer's work bears. 
The names of certain well-known manufacturers on vehicles 
is considered almost as much of a guarantee of their intrinsic 
worth as is the government stamp on a sovereign. It is not 
the author's intention to advocate only elaborately made and 
consequently high-priced vehicles, but that, whatever the 
carriage may be, and the simpler the better, if the purse has 
to be considered, the material and workmanship should be 
of the best. The difference of two or three hundred dollars 
in the price of two broughams or victorias of apparently the 
same construction is more than doubly repaid during the 
life of the superior carriage, in consequence of its greater 
durability. 

When a novice is about to make his selection of a horse 
and carriage he should bear in mind that it is the carriage 
which is the primal factor in determining to what extent the 



THE CHOICE OF A CARRIAGE. 83 

purposes of the owner are satisfied. A particular horse may 
not necessarily control the character of the vehicle, but a cer- 
tain vehicle should A^i^xmixi^ the stamp of the horse. A horse 
of the proper shape and make can always be obtained for 
any of the standard types of carriages ; but fortunately the 
latter do not invariably correspond with every class of animal. 
Before finally selecting any one carriage the prospective 
purchaser is advised to consider the following pros and cons 
which enter so largely into the acquisition of a carriage : 

1. For what use is the vehicle intended } 

2. What type of vehicle best fulfils the requirements.? 

3. Will it serve those requirements, if necessary, in 
summer and winter and in wet weather } 

4. What is the cost of a vehicle, not merely of this type, 
but of the best in the matter of material and workmanship.? 

5. If the desired vehicle is too expensive, what other 
more moderate priced type could be substituted ? 

6. How many horses and of what stamp will be required .? 

7. If properly turned out, what harness, livery and 
robes, etc., will be needed .? 

8. Is the stable servant competent to give such a vehicle 
proper care ? 

9. Is the vehicle of such a design that it is likely to 
command a fair price if sold again ? 

If the bank account is large the purchaser is fancy free 
to follow his own inclinations wherever they may lead 
him ; but when a certain sum has been carefully saved for the 
buying of the first carriage or its purchase constitutes the 
only outlay of this nature to be made for several years, a 
thoughtful person is guided in his selection by many consid- 
erations. It is important to know beforehand whether the 



84 THE CHOICE OF A CARRIAGE. 

vehicle is light enough to be readily drawn by one horse ; is 
it suitable for the city and country or in winter and summer ; 
is it of such a design that, to be properly appointed, James will 
have to be put in breeches and boots, or a more elaborate 
harness and better quality horse bought ? 

To those persons whose circumstances allow them to 
enjoy the pleasure of owning horses, the result of experience 
is here given regarding the attempt to combine in one car- 
riage the requisites of a city and country vehicle or one for 
summer and winter. The only carriages that unite all the 
requirements are, for personal driving, a hooded buggy ; and 
for a carriage to be driven by a servant, the light bus or a 
wagonette with sliding glass windows, and even the latter 
vehicle is open to the objection of being rather too heavy for 
one horse. 

For city use in winter and summer the hansom is the one 
type that may be comfortably used, and under similar condi- 
tions in the country the station wagon with a detachable top 
offers the most advantages. For city use in winter the 
brougham is the most serviceable ; and for spring, summer 
and fall the victoria, the most luxurious. The light types 
(w^eighing about 800 pounds) of these two designs may be and 
usually are combined in forming a» all-the-year-round turn- 
out. The same horse, harness and livery can, by stretching 
a point here and there, be used for both, but the expense is 
greater than if a country carriage was used in place of the 
victoria. Why 1 Because the wear and tear are on a twelve 
hundred dollar carriage instead of on a two or three hundred 
dollar one ; the same in respect to the deterioration of 
expensive harness and livery ; moreover, the greater cost of 
renewals has to be considered. 








4 S 

TYPES OF MODERN CARRIAGES — PLATE 1, 



1 Brougham 

2 Victoria 

3 Stanhope Phaeton 

4 Runabout 



5 Landau 

6 Four-in-Hand Break 

7 Coupe Rockaway 

8 Wagonette Break (with Perch Gear) 





13 





'4 







TYPES OF MODERN CARRIAGES — PLATE 2. 



9 Omnibus 

10 Spider Phaeton 

11 Station Wagon 

12 Surrey 



13 Dog Cart 

14 Governess Cart 

15 Basket Phaeton (witli Rumble) 

16 Vis-h-vis 



j( 



COST AND WEIGHT. 



85 



When a purchaser is about to enlarge the number of his 
vehicles by one or more additions without a corresponding- 
increase in the number of horses, etc., he should confine his 
selection to such carriages as may be practically and appro- 
priately drawn by the horses and harness which are in his 
stable. 



AVERAGE COST AND WEIGHT OF VARIOUS TYPES OF VEHICLES 
OF THE BEST MAKE. 



PRICE. 

Barouche $1600. 

Break. 

Body-perch 1650. 

Roof 1450.-2000. 

Skeleton 750. 

Brougham. 

Single (special) . .1450. 

Pair-horse 1500. 

Buggy. 

Single (for shafts 

only) 450, 

Double 450 

Cabriolet. 

Two-wheeler .... 1250. 
Cart. 

Breaking 300. 

Game (4-wheeler)..850. 

Going-to-covert ... .775. 

Governess 350. 

Village 600. 

VVhitechapel 800. 



WEIGHT. 

lbs. 
1350. 

1700. 
1500. 
1400. 

1050. 
f 1150. 
I 1350. 



125. 
175. 
190. 
350. 

1000. 

300. 
750. 
700. 
300. 
500. 
750. 



WEIGHT. 

PRICE. lbs. 

Coach. 

Road $2400. 2900. 

Private 2600. 2500. 

Curricle 1250. 950. 

Gig- 
Hooded 750. 600. 

Park-gate 600. 500. 

Skeleton 300. 350. 

Hansom 1225. 1100. 

Jaunting car 650. 500. 

Landau 1800. 1600. 

Omnibus. 

Station 1200. 1100. 

Theatre 1350. 1400 

Phaeton. 

Basket (single) ....400. 350. 

Basket (pair-horse) .750. 700. 

Demi-mail 1200. 1000. 

Ladies' 1150. 800. 

Mail 1450. 1200. 

Spider 1150. 800. 

Stanhope 1100. 900. 

Rockaway ) ^^^^ jgOO. 

(six- seated) ) 



86 



APPOINTMENTS : SINGLE BROUGHAM. 



PRICE. 

Run-about ;^365. 

Station wagon 750. 

Surrey 600. 

T-cart 825. 

Tilbury 600. 

Victoria. 

Single 975. 



WEIGHT. 
LBS. 

260. 
550. 
700. 
350. 
500. 
700. 
550. 



]5 



WEIGHT. 

PRICE. LBS. 

Pair-horse $1400. 1100. 

Panel-boot (single) 1100. 800. 

Panel-boot I ^^^^3^^^ ^^^^^ 
(pair horse) j 

C-spring 1750. 1400. 

Wagonette (top). 

Single 850. 700. 

Pair-horse 1000. 1000. 



650. 



To be properly turned out the following carriages re- 
quire that the servant or servants be costumed in boots and 
breeches : brougham, victoria, landau, vis-a-vis, mail, demi- 
mail, spider, stanhope and ladies' phaeton, gig, tandem 
carts, private coach, omnibus and hansom. 

APPOINTMENTS. 

The details given below and those to which reference is 
made are the distinctions which characterized the winning 
entry in the Appointment Class at the National Horse 
Show in 1898, or are observed by well known horse owners, 
and therefore represent what is generally accepted as being 
appropriate for the proper turning out of the special type of 
vehicle. 

SINGLE BROUGHAM. 

The carriage : 

Color, dark throughout ; lower panels and livery cor- 
respond. 

Metal trimmings, brass ; only used for door handles, 
rim around coachman's seat ; shaft ends japanned. 

Rubber tires, on all wheels. 



APPOINTMENTS: BROUGHAM AND VICTORIA. 87 

Lining, of coachman's seat to match color of livery, 
robe to match inside lining, or if the latter is 
leather, the robe any dark shade. 

Windows, wooden shutters up, coming into ring 
(from stable) ; when carriage stops, shutters let 
down and glass windows raised halfway ; groom 
removes robe and places it over left arm, and 
stands facing forward near the hinge end of the 
door. If carriage is to be driven away without 
groom, glass windows are raised full height. 
When carriage leaves show ring (returning to 
stable), glass windows are let down and wooden 
shutters put up. 

For type of horse, see p. 128. 

For type of harness, see p. 202. 

Servants, in full dress livery (breeches and boots), 
body coat, not greatcoat ; no robe. For full de- 
scription of livery, see Chapter XIII. 

PAIR-HORSE BROUGHAM. 

The carriage : 

Same in all respects as described under single 
brougham, except that the carriage is propor- 
tionally larger and heavier. 

The pole end, japanned, eyes of bridle leather covered. 

For type of horses, see p. 128. 

Servants, see under description of single brougham. 

PAIR-HORSE VICTORIA AND PANEL-BOOT VICTORIA. 

The carriage : 

Color, dark throughout, lower panels and livery cor- 
respond. 



88 APPOINTMENTS : PHAETONS. 

Rubber tires, on all wheels. 

Lining of coachman's seat to match color of livery. 

Carriage robe to match carriage lining in color. 
When carriage stops groom removes robe, and 
places it over left arm and stands, facing forward, 
near carriage seat, not coachman's seat. 

For type of horses, see p. 1 30. 

For type of harness, see p. 203. 

Ribbon or cord fronts and pad-housings are used with 
harness for panel-boot victoria, but not with any 
other. 
Servants, see p. 87, description of single brougham. 

" Pair of Horses. To be shown before a Victoria or Cabriolet, a panel- 
bool Victoria is meant, the horses to count 50 per cent ; the carriages, 25 ; 
harness, 15; liveries, 10. The horses should have good manners, stand 
quietly, and back well." — Froin the Catalogue of the National Horse Show 
Association^ i8gS. 

PHAETONS MAIL, DEMI-MAIL, STANHOPE, AND SPIDER. 

The carriages (see Plates): 

Color, dark throughout for mail, demi-mail and 

stanhope. 
Pole head, swivel, arms and rings of burnished steel. 
Pole-chains, not pole-pieces, used. 
For type of horses, see p. 131. 
For type of harness, see p. 207. 
Servants, see p. ^y. 

Two servants accompany the mail phaeton, but for 
all others only the groom. 
" For pairs of horses to be shown before a demi-mail, spider or stan- 
hope phaeton, for park use. Horses to count 30 per cent, and to be prac- 
tically sound, with good manners, Carriages, 30 per cent. Harness, 20 per 




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APPOINTMENTS: RUN-ABOUT AND ROAD WAGON. 89 

cent. Servants' Liveries, etc., 20 per cent." — From the Catalogue of the 
National Horse Show Association, i8g8. 

RUN-ABOUT. 

Color, body, dark; running gear, red (preferably) or yellow. 
Fittings. A lamp, box of matches, tie strap, blanket and 
wheel wrench under seat. Robe folded outside out 
and placed on driving seat if not used. Whip, with 
lash, not the straight whalebone type. If a servant 
accompanies the carriage he should be in whipcord 
breeches and leggings. 
For type of horse, see p. 132. 
For type of harness, see p. 205. 
For description of livery, see under Chapter XIII. 
" Horses and Run-abouts. Horses to count 50 per cent ; run-about and 
appointments, 50 per cent. Horse should have conformation, style, all-round 
action and good manners. Horses must stand without being held." — From 
the Catalogue of the National Horse Show Association, i8g8. 

ROAD WAGON. 

Color, body, dark, preferably black ; running gear, preferably 

dark red or black with light stripe. 
Fittings. 

•' At the recent Horse Show at Madison Square Garden exhibitors in 
best appointed road rig class were notified that only the following articles 
should be carried in the wagon : Blankets, robes, whip, harness punch, 
oil can, goggles, watch, hoof pick, wagon wrench, monkey wrench, hammer, 
scraper, one pair pincers, one lamp (not electric), and copper wire and 
cord. The latter, neatly coiled, takes up very little room, and is very useful 
in case of accident to wagon or harness. The tendency to multiply articles 
grew until equipment really became burdensome, and the directors of the 
Horse Show Association put on the brakes. Omitting tie rein and shoes 
from the list has led to discussion, but the theory is that the man who jogs 
through the park for a spin on the speedway has no use for either. If he 



90 APPOINTMENTS : ROAD WAGON. 

stops at a road house, he will find tie straps in the shed, and if he casts a 
shoe, he will find a blacksmith close at hand, or he can return to the stable, 
without stopping to have a shoe nailed on. The groom of every well- 
appointed stable will see to it that no horse leaves the stable for an afternoon 
drive with a shoe so loose as to interfere with the pleasure of the outgoing. 
At the Chicago Horse Show there was a radical departure from simplicity in 
road rig appointments. A great many articles were carried that might well 
have been omitted, such as currycomb, brush, nails, shoes and flask with 
whiskey or brandy in it. If a man is taking a forty-mile drive through the 
country, these articles might prove useful, but not in the park. The lamp 
was stowed away under the seat, requiring something of a search for it in an 
emergency, instead of being worn on the dashboard as in the New York 
Show. The lead of Colonel Kip in this particular was followed by every 
other exhibitor. At Chicago high silk hats were conspicuous in the ring 
until it was understood that the judges put a black mark against every man 
who wore one, then the New York standard prevailed. A round hat, with 
white coat, is the proper thing in the road rig class. To the farmer, who is 
indifferent to personal appearance, all this may seem trivial, but it is impor- 
tant to men who drive purely for pleasure, and who wish to be in what is 
considered good form." — " Turf, Field and Farm,''' December lO, iSgy. 

A well known driver of road horses who is a successful 
exhibitor at the Horse Show in New York each year has a 
wooden case fastened beneath the seat with a door opening 
toward the dash board and hinged at the bottom, in which 
the following articles are carried : 

Leather punch. Ivory scraper. 

Folding wheel jack. Wire and cord. 

Oil can. Wire nippers. 

Monkey wrench. Goggles and case. 

Hoof pick and hammer. Box of matches. 

Watch on toe carpet, not on foot rest. Lamp with candle on dash board. 

For type of horse, see p. 1 34. 

For type of harness, see pp. 114, 115. 



THE PRIVATE COACH. 91 



THE PRIVATE COACH. 



Color. Only one other color with black is now generally 
used. Black and maroon, or dark green or dark blue pro- 
duce the best effects. The following enumerated parts 
should be always painted black : the upper panels, sides 
of boots,* front of front boot, steps, seat rails, standards, 
ladder, skid and chain, hub-bands, and roller bolts. The 
quarter panels, the entire door, the back panel of the hind 




FIG. 46. 

THE SKID. 

boot, the under side and rim of the footboard and the 
risers of the box seat, the pole, the main and lead bars 
should be painted the same color as the under carriage, when 
only one color is used in combination with black. Black 
striping may be introduced around the doors, on the box 
seat risers, in the form of a rectangular panel on the under 
side of the footboard, on the rims of the wheels and at base 
of the spokes. The crest, monogram, or badge of the owner 
should be painted on the narrow panel under the window 
(called the crest panel) and in the centre of the panel of the 
hind boot. The badge or device of the leading coaching 

* Boot. The name is derived from the term applied to the basket frequently 
carried on the side of vehicles in the 17th century and in which the feet were placed. 
Somewhat later a basket was attached to the hind axle for the accommodation of inferior 
passengers and dependants. In the gradual evolution of the coach a smaller basket was 
carried over the front axle and was designated a "boot" although the word had in this 
case lost its true significance. 



92 THE PRIVATE COACH. 

club, of which the owner is a member, may be placed on the 
panel of the door. 

Construction. The fore and hind axle should be joined 
by a perch. The axles should be of the Collinge pattern, 
or they may be Mail. The risers of the hind seat should 
be iron braces. The hind boot is hinged at the bottom. 
The pole hook and furniture on main and lead bars are of 
burnished steel. For detail measurements see p. 94. 

Outside Fittings. Lazy-backs of the middle 
seats (gammon * and backgammon) covered with 
patent leather and turned down. The standards 
or iron supports for the backs should be hinged 
above the cushions. There should be no backs 
to the rumble seat nor should there be any lug- 
gage rails or straps. Seats lined with dark cloth 
or pigskin. A foot box for ladies should be pro- 
vided. The covering of the upper surface of the 
boots and footboard should be a solid color, oil- 
FiG. 47. cloth, kemptulicon, or india rubber. Main and 
THE STICK |g^^ hdcX^ fastened to the back of hind seat, bar 

BASKET. 1-1 1 

and trace hooks down, and mam bar on top; the 
ladder hung beneath the rumble. 

The stick basket used on a coach measures about two 
feet three inches in lenorth and ten inches in diameter. 
Narrower ones are sometimes used on other vehicles, but 
strictly speaking its use is limited to the coach. It should 
be carried on the near side. 

In regard to carrying a stick-basket when the coach is turned out the Duke 
of Beaufort is quoted by a correspondent to the Rider and Driver as saying: " I 

* A form of seat devised to meet the requirements of an Act of Parliament limiting 
the number of roof passengers. The bill was introduced by a Mr. Gammon. 




THE PRIVATE COACH. 



93 



should decidedly, whether I was turned out for a meet of the Four-in-Hand Club, 
or for a drive in Hyde Park, or any other occasion, have a stick and umbrella 
basket attached to one of the hind seats of my coach. There is no necessity to 
have it over large or unsightly. It does not, then, in any way disfigure a coach, 
and is at all times most useful, and if the owner have a load of ladies and gentle- 
men, I consider it indispensable." 

The coachman's driving apron if not used is folded out- 
side out on the driving cushion. An " imperial," i. e., box 
between the gammon and the backgammon seats, is not 
carried. This box is used only when going to the races 
or on similar expeditions. The skid (see Fig. 46) should 
be carried on the off side. 
The horn is carried in 
a leather case or in a cylin- 
drical basket. The latter 
allows the horn to be put 
in with the mouthpiece up, 
which prevents it from fall- 
ing out. If the leather case 
is used it should be open at 
the bottom with a small pin 
across the opening to prevent the mouthpiece falling out. 
The basket when used for the horn alone is made narrower 
than when intended to carry sticks, etc. It should be at- 
tached to the off side roof-seat iron. 

Inside Fittings. The inside seats are covered with 
cloth or morocco. Hat straps are attached to the roof and 
pockets to the doors. The lamps and a jointed whip should 
be stored away above the tops of the front or back seat. 
The aprons for passengers should be folded and placed on 
the front seat. In the front boot should be placed an extra 
lead and wheel trace, a rein splicer, extra hame straps, a kit 




FIG. 48. 

FOOTBOARD CLOCK. 



94 



ORIGIN OF SEVERAL DESIGNS. 



of tools containing a jack-knife, a harness punch, pliers, coil 
of copper wire and medium sized rope, wheel wrench, candles, 
matches, oil can, etc., the waterproof aprons and the loin 
cloths. The hind boot should be fitted with luncheon boxes 
and wine racks. 

The shutters are drawn up and down as described under 
brougham appointments but should remain up when coach 
is being driven by a servant. 

For type of horses, see p. 132. 

For details of harness, see p. 211. 




FIG. 49. 

MAIN AND LEAD BARS. 

Servants. Both to be in boots and breeches. Body 
coats to be cut as prescribed for groom s coat. (See Chapter 
XIII.) 

" Park teams to be shown before drags ; owners or members of any Coaching 
Club to drive. Horses to count 50 per cent; drags, 25 ; harness, 15 ; liveries, 10. 
The horses should have quality, action and good manners, and not be under 
fifteen hands." — Fro?n the Catalogue of the A'ational Horse Shew Association. 



ORIGIN OF SEVERAL DESIGNS. 

Many, in fact most, of the standard designs of vehicles 
now used in this country are of foreign origin. The develop- 
ment of several types of carriages described by Mr. Watson 
in the volume entitled " Driving" in the Badminton library 
conflicts with the statements made by some recent writers in 



FO UR- WHEELERS. 95 

this country and therefore the author has taken the liberty 
of transcribing from Mr. Watson's chapter such remarks 
as bear on the history of the following vehicles : 

FOUR-WHEELERS. 

The Coach : 

" The word drag is often employed as if it represented 
a distinct type of vehicle. A drag, however, is merely a 
slang name for a gentleman's coach." — p. jj. 

" The following figures are taken from one of the 
best running road coaches, made by most scientific 
builders, but they need not, therefore, be put down as 
figures to be invariably adopted. They constitute 
rather a fair average guide. The length of the pole 
may be put as lo ft. 8 in., and, strange to say, the 
entire length of the coach comes to within an inch of 
the same, viz., lo ft. 9 in., the body being 4 ft. 10 in., 
the hind boot 2 ft. 9 in., and the front 3 ft. 2 in. The 
splinter bar measures 6 ft., the main bar 3 ft. 9 in., and 
the leading bars 3 ft. i in. each ; the front wheels are 
3 ft. 2 in. in height; the hind wheels 4 ft.; distance 
between front and hind wheels 2 ft. 6 in. 

" The height of coach, measuring to the roof, just 
over door, is 6 ft. 11. in., and the bottom of the coach 
is 2 ft. 9 in. from the ground ; the carriage or side 
springs are 2 ft. 4^ in., and the body or cross springs 
which connect the above, 3 ft. 11 in. The front boot 
is 3 ft. 2 in. wide, and the hind boot is 3 ft. i in.; the 
space between decks from the bottom to the top of 
the coach inside is 4 ft. and the distance between the 
wheels 5 ft. 8 in. ; the depth of the footboard 2 ft. i in., 



96 FO UR- WHEELERS. 

breadth 3 ft. 10 in.; the height from the ground at 
heel, 5 ft. ; the slope upwards to the front being made 
to suit the size of the horses, as well as in some cases 
the lenorth of the coachman's lees. A coach built on 
these lines will follow well without rolling, and be, if 
not quite, nearly perfect." — p- 49- 

The Brougham : 

" Lord Brougham did not invent the carriage which 
long before 1837 was a common vehicle in the streets 
of Paris or to be hired as a voiture de place. . . . Lord 
Brougham had the good sense to import one from Paris 
and to have one built by an English coach builder, who, 
whilst sticking nearly to the lines of the original, made 
it more elegant, lighter and stronger. The form is 
simple and sensible in the extreme, and, as we have seen 
of late years, is capable of all sorts of modifications." 
— /. ^7. 

The Victoria : 

" In the summer of 1850 another royal carriage, 
which has since attained great popularity, was first 
introduced into England, though the vehicle was not 
quite a novelty to those who were familiar with the 
summer street cabs of Paris. This was the Victoria, 
not precisely, it may be, the vehicle which the reader will 
first picture to himself, for the Victoria, with a seat in 
front for the driver, came afterwards. The earliest 
example now in question was a pony phaeton to hold 
two, one of whom drove." — /. ^8. 

The Phaeton : 

"The phaeton had, in fact, already (1794) come into 
vogue, though, so far as can be ascertained in the early 



TWO- WHEELERS. 97 

carriages of this class, there was no hind seat. The 
body of the vehicle was placed high above and exactly 
over the front wheels, and they were attached to the 
hind wheels, which were of considerable height, by 
a perch of wood strengthened by plates of iron. There 
was a hood which could be raised or lowered after the 
existing fashion." — p. ^o. 
The Stanhope : 

" Contemporary with the cabriolet were the Stanhope 
and Tilbury, both named after their designers, the 
former having been built about 1815 for the Hon. Fitz- 
roy Stanhope. The other, with seven springs instead 
of four, was lighter looking, though in reality heavier." 

—P- 43- 
The Wagonette : 

"About 1842 or 1843, Mr. Lovell, coach builder of 
Amersham, Bucks, built what is now so generally known 
as a wagonette for Lord Curzon; and Mr. Holmes, of 
Derby, built one for the Earl of Chesterfield; and in the 
year 1845 one was made under the superintendence of 
the late Prince Consort for the use of Her Majesty and 
the Royal family, by the late Mr. George Hooper." 
— /. 48. 



TWO-WHEELERS. 

The Gig: 

" It may possibly have been some ingenious but suf- 
fering traveller in a sedan cart who devised the gig, 
an illustration of which in 1754 shows the germ of a 
whole array of two-wheeled carriages." — p. J2. 
7 



98 



TWO- WHEELERS. 



The Curricle: 

" It is said to have been of Italian origin, and found its 
way to England early in the present century, to become 
extremely popular, if popular be the correct term to 
employ in describing a vehicle which was very luxuri- 
ous, inasmuch as it was chiefly a show carriage and, in 
spite of its lightness, was drawn by a pair of horses. 
The curricle was a two-wheeled carriage with a hood, 
and the only two-wheeled vehicle used with two horses 
abreast." — p. 40. 

The Cabriolet: 

" The curricle was to a great extent ousted by the 
cabriolet, a two-wheeled carriage, imported from France 
early in the present century." — /. 42. 

The Two-wheel Dogcart : 

" Gigs, we are informed, were occasionally ' used for 
shooting, when the lockers were made with Venetian 
blinds to carry the dogs, and then it became a dog- 
cart.' " — p. 44. 

The Hansom : 

" While on the subject of two-wheeled carriages, it 
may be well to include the popular hansom. The in- 
ventor was a Mr. Joseph Hansom, a Leicestershire 
architect. In 1834 he obtained a patent for his new 
and very original form of cabriolet." — /. 44. 




CHAPTER VI. 

THE POINTS OF THE HORSE. 

CONFORMATION, ACTION, COLOR, SOUNDNESS, MEASURING, SEX 

AND MANNERS. 

U NFORTUN AT ELY 

it is not within the 
scope of every per- 
son's accomplish- 
ments to become a 
judge of a horse, but 
it is quite possible for 
any intelligent and 
persevering individ- 
ual to acquire suffi- 
cient technical in- 
formation to advantageously exercise a negative voice in 
making a purchase. As such knowledge has its limitations 
clearly defined, it is not that which constitutes the proverbial 
dangerous amount of little learning. 

There are certain qualifications that are common to all 
first-class horses, which in principle are as applicable to the 
hunter or coach horse as to the Shetland pony ; in fact, they 
are found in good horses of all types. These points are 
correct proportion, quality and manners. In describing con- 
formation it is necessary to resort to technical terms, and to 
make the meaning of these clear an explanatory diagram of 
the horse is given. 

99 

L.ofC. 




100 



CONFORM A TION. 



8 



^<^^ 







1. Head. 

2. Forehead. 

3. Nose. 

4. Nostril. 

5. Chin-groove. 

6. Jowl. 

7. Neck. 

8. Poll. 



9. Crest. 

10. Windpipe. 

11. Shoulder. 

12. Brisket. 

13. Withers. 

14. Forearm. 

15. Knee. 

16. Canon. 



17. Fetlock joint. 25. Hock. 



18. Pastern. 

19. Hoof. 

20. Ribs. 

21. Belly. 

22. Sheath. 

23. Thigh. 

24. Gaskin. 



26. Canon. 

27. Coronet. 

28. Dock. 

29. Croup. 

30. Loin. 

31. Back. 

32. Flank. 



CONFORMATION. 



The horse has first to be considered merely as a ma- 
chine in which the power of propulsion is primarily deter- 
mined by the balance of the parts. The exact proportional 



CONFORMATION. 101 

relation of one part to another is never detrimental, but al- 
ways essential to the highest fulfilment of the power of loco- 
motion. That a horse of excellent proportion is not neces- 
sarily a perfect machine is not clue to the existence of this 
balance, but usually to a defective motor force, i. e., nervous 
system, or muscular development. The lack of balance 
reduces the power and endurance in multiple ratio; and 
of two horses, other things being equal, the one with dis- 
proportionately light legs, heavy neck or body will be the 
less useful animal. As the strength of a chain is only that 
of its weakest link, so the power of a horse is determined 
by his most defective part. In fact, great strength or weight 
in one part often serves to make a defective point weaker. 
A heavy body on light legs only tends to weaken the limbs 
instead of giving greater power in draught by its size. 

The following relative measurements are found approxi- 
mately true in all types of well proportioned horses used by 
private owners. 

The height from the ground to the withers is equal to 
the length from the chest to a line dropped vertically from 
the point of the buttock. 

The height from the ground to the point of the croup is 
equal to that from the ground to the withers. 

The distance from the ground to the brisket is equal to 
that from the point of the withers to the point of the croup. 

The distance from the point of the elbow to the stifle 
corresponds with that from the ground to the brisket, and 
from the point of the withers to the forehead, the head 
being held in a naturally elevated position. 

The length of the head is equal to the depth of the 
body at the lowest point of the back. 



102 THE HEAD. 

THE HEAD. 

The proper proportion of the length of a horse's head to 
his body has been found to be about i to 2/4 ; or approxi- 
mately the same as the depth of the body of a well-conditioned 
horse at the lowest point of the back. 

The bones, muscles and blood vessels should not be 
obscured by coarse tissue, but each should stand out in a 
clearly marked manner. 

The outline of the head may be straight, concave or con- 
vex. Against the latter shape, when it is confined to the 
upper part of the head, there is a prejudice born of experi- 
ence, such conformation being the accompaniment of a bad 
disposition. 

From the front the breadth of the head, between and 
just above the eyes, should be pronounced. Above and 
below this point the head should taper down rather abruptly, 
but the outside line of those parts just above the eyes should 
extend for a short distance parallel to each other. 

The ears should be moderately far apart and compara- 
tively small, thin and evenly shaped rather than large, thick 
and curved, either in or out. The writer's preference is for 
a horse that, by the constant movement of the ears in atten- 
tion to sounds, shows much mental activity. 

The eyes should be large, bright, and with a gentle 
expression. Horses with small eyes or with those exhibiting 
much of the white are considered to be of sullen or ugly 
disposition. 

The nostrils and lips should be thin ; the former, more- 
over, should be large, wide apart and easily flexed when the | 
animal is inhaling. Small nostrils indicate a limited breath- 
ing power. 



THE NECK. 103 

THE NECK. 

The outline of the upper part of the neck should be con- 
vex rather than concave (or ewe necked), and at either end 
the curve should flatten out where the neck joins the head 
and body. The outline of the under part of the neck should 
be similarly convex with a slight reverse curve under the 
jowl, but the other end of the outline, where the neck joins 
the body, ends rather abruptly with an inward sweep. 

As the length of the neck indicates the length of the 
leverage muscles operating the forward movement of the 
shoulders, horses possessing speed have longer necks than 
those best suited to draught purposes. 

The upper part of the neck should be narrow and heavy 
rather than deep and thin ; while the lower part should be 
deep, thin, not thick, and well cut away in front of the 
shoulders unless for very heavy draught. 

The windpipe should be large and have the appearance 
of being loose, rather detached from the neck. 

In addition to the effect of the make and shape of the 
neck on the powers of locomotion, they have considerable 
influence in determining the extent to which the bit will act 
on the mouth. A horse with a well-shaped neck will be 
better able to flex it so that the bit can fall on the bars of 
the mouth (that part lying between the front and back teeth). 
Some horses with ill-formed necks are unable to bend them 
in such a manner that, when the bit is acted upon by 
the reins being drawn, the mouthpiece can fall upon the 
bars. Such horses are never so well in hand, and as a rule 
have neither so light nor fine a mouth as animals with better 
formed necks. (See illustration of the polo pony in 
harness.) 



104 THE BODY. 

THE BODY. 

The relative proportion of the depth of the body, meas- 
ured from the withers to the brisket, to the length of the 
body is a trifle less than one-half. 

The body or centrepiece should be compact, with but 
little space between the last ribs and the thigh. 

The ribs should be well rounded and of considerable 
depth. Flat-sided horses, other things being equal, have not 
the substance that horses have that are the possessors of 
good barrels. The ribs should be well extended from the 
chest to the loins. As has been said above, there should be 
but little space between the last ribs and the stifle joint, 
and if the space is not more than the width of three or four 
fingers the horse may be considered well knit together in 
this respect. Too much stress cannot be laid upon a horse 
being well ribbed up. 

The withers should be high, as they form the fixture to 
which the suspensory muscles of the neck, the muscles of 
the upper part of the back, and the forward ones of the 
shoulder are attached. High withers are especially desirable 
in a saddle horse ; their value however is dependent upon 
the presence of moderately developed muscles. If the with- 
ers are too lean they are apt to become injured from the 
pressure of the pommel of the saddle, and if too heavy their 
efficiency in keeping the saddle in place is lost. 

In all horses that are to perform light and rapid work 
the longer and more sloping the shoulder the better is the 
animal qualified to fulfil this class of work. 

The back and loins should be short, broad, flat and 
nearly straight. A hollow back is the sign of weakness. 
The croup should be almost straight (the horse "Whirl of the 



THE LEGS AND FEET. 105 

Town" offers a striking illustration of this point). Any great 
obliqueness of this part results in diminishing the power of 
propulsion. 

The dock (the solid part of the tail) of a well bred horse 
should be short, set fairly high on the croup and carried 
gayly and well away from the body. 

The anus should be prominent, small and firm ; the 
reverse indicates a weak constitution. 

THE LEGS AND FEET THE FORE LEGS. 

The fore legs should be straight, flat on the sides and 
hard. They should be set moderately far apart, and as the 
weight of the body is best supported when the fore feet are 
a little under it, the legs should fall back of a line dropped 
from the shoulder. 

Viewed from the front the feet should turn neither in nor 
out. In case the feet are not perfectly straight it is prefer- 
able to have them turn out. 

The elbows should stand out far enough from the body 
to insure perfect freedom to these joints. 

The bones of the forearms and lower parts of the legs 
should be large, and the muscles well developed. Viewed 
from the side, the line of the front of the legs should be 
straight ; any forward bend is termed " over in the knees," 
and any backward inclination is called " calf-kneed." 

The tendons at the back of the lower part of the leg 
should be nearly parallel to the canon bones ; if they tend 
to converge with the bones at the knees, "tied in at the 
knees," the animal is predisposed to weakness in these 
parts. The tendons should be well developed and tense. 

The knees should be broad in front and clearly defined. 



106 THE LEGS AND FEET. 

The preference for knees that are " well let down " is due to 
the advantage of a horse having a short canon and a long 
forearm. 

The fetlocks viewed from the side should not extend be- 
yond the lines of the canon bones and back tendons, but 
their roundness should be apparent when viewed from the 
front. 

The pasterns should be moderately long and sloping, in 
order to give the elasticity required to offset the concussion 
which the foot would otherwise receive and transmit to the 
body. Horses may have pasterns that slope to such a de- 
gree that they are unable to bear the weight of the body, 
which results in their "breaking down"; but in the majority 
of cases the pasterns are too upright, and under such con- 
ditions the delicate construction of the feet is injured, as 
well as the bones and tendons of the legs. It is impossible 
to describe what the exact length and slope of the pastern 
should be, but the reader may form a correct idea by study 
of the plate representing " The Whirl of the Town." 

HIND LEGS. 

As the hind legs afford the chief power of propulsion, it 
is important that a proper relation in size and length 
should exist between the various joints, together with good 
muscular development. 

As the weight of the body is best supported when the 
hind feet are under the end of the croup, the hocks and fet- 
locks should fall a little back of a line dropped from the 
buttocks. 

Viewed from the rear the thighs should be long and well 
rounded, the legs from the hocks to the fetlocks parallel 



THE LEGS AND FEET. 107 

and moderately far apart. If they tend to converge at the 
hocks, "cow-hocks," or at the fetlocks, their power of support 
is lessened. Hocks that turn outward tend to diminish the 
speed. 

Viewed from the side, the curve from the buttocks to the 
hocks should be moderate (neither very deep nor very 
slight). The hocks should be large, *' well let down," and 
their junction with the parts above and below free from any 
abrupt differences in size. 

The canon bones should be short and broad and flat on 
the sides. The line from the hocks to the fetlocks should 
be straight, and the tendons hard and well defined. If this 
line is concave, "sickle-hocks," the power of propulsion is 
lessened ; and if convex a " curby " tendency, or the exist- 
ence of curbs, is indicated. 

The fetlocks have been described in a preceding para- 
graph treating of the fore legs. 

The pasterns should be somewhat shorter and straighter 
than those of the fore legs, as their chief function is that of 
propulsion ; and not being subjected to the same amount 
of concussion it is desirable that strength should be para- 
mount to elasticity. 

THE FEET. 

The feet should be moderately large and uniform in 
size. 

The wall should be smooth, hard and long enough to 
give a depth of fully an inch at the heels. A rough wall 
indicates a diseased condition. 

The slope of the hoofs of the fore feet is greater than that 
of the hind ones, and corresponds more or less accurately with 



108 QUALITY, 

the difference in the angles of the fore and hind pasterns. 
The angle of the fore feet is about fifty degrees, and that of 
the hind ones sixty degrees. The inner sides, called the in- 
ner quarters, slope less than the outer quarters. 

The heels and bars should be neither very narrow nor 
unduly wide ; the former condition indicates a tendency to 
contraction, and the latter to weakness. 

The sole of the hoof should be smooth and hard. A 
scaly or chalky condition is a sign of an unhealthy state. 
The online of the soft, rubber-like substance called the 
"frog" should be clearly defined, and the parts well devel- 
oped and pliable. If, after the feet are washed out, a dis- 
agreeable odor is detected, it is an indication of the exist- 
ence of thrush or some other form of disease. 

QUALITY. 

Quality in a horse is the same as it is in a person. It is 
necessary that both should possess the highest fulfilment of 
mental and physical attributes ; the latter to be in harmony 
with the size of the man or the animal. Quality may exist 
in horses of all sizes, but there are certain types that offer a 
better setting than others for the display of this property. 
All the fineness of outline and texture may be present, but 
hidden by a heavy coat or bad condition, etc. For the" same 
reason those animals which are kept trimmed up and are 
otherwise carefully cared for are afforded a better chance to 
display whatever degree of quality they possess. A horse 
may show that he is well bred without possessing quality, 
and hence breeding and quality cannot be considered as 
being synonymous. 

A correspondent to one of the papers devoted to the 



ACTION. 109 

interest of affairs pertaining to the horse says, regarding 
quality : 

" The term has long been in use in England, but only of late years in 
this country, and your columns have given ample proof of the existence of 
vague and misty, not to say erroneous, ideas on the part of many correspond- 
ents. T have often been asked to explain what is meant, and have found 
the easiest method to be by illustration. 

" Almost every one will be able to recall some one of his acquaintance 
who, though clothed in the coarsest homespun, could never, even in silent 
repose, be taken for anything but a gentleman ; and again another person 
who, in spite of all the efforts of his tailor and the dancing master, fails to 
produce any such impression. 

" If the reason be analyzed the former will be found to have clear cut 
features, a well poised head, shapely hands and feet, and an intelligent, 
expressive countenance. The toute ense?nble of the two seems to show that 
one is made of coarser clay than the other. The same difference exists in 
horses. A horse corresponding to the former will be described by one good 
judge as ' true formed and full of quality,' while another equally good judge 
would express his admiration by declaring him to be ' a gentleman from head 
to heel.' 

" I had written thus far when it occurred to me that Bacon, Shakespeare, 
Addison and other writers of their time constantly referred to the nobility 
and gentry as the quality, and on turning to a dictionary I find : * Quality — 
superior rank, superiority of birth or standing, as persons of quality, ladies 
of quality.' " 

ACTION. 

The action most to be desired is that which is perfectly 
natural to a well-formed spirited animal in the full flower of 
youth and physical development. Owing to a man's ability 
to make an ill-formed or aged horse produce a similar (not 
the same) effect, this action is frequently mistaken by a novice 
to indicate the necessarily good conformation and high cour- 
age of a " natural all-round fine actor." 

A horse of good formation that stands well usually walks 



110 ACTION. 

well and in turn trots equally well. A horse's limbs should 
move with the freedom, ease, evenness and precision of a 
pendulum. The movement of the fore legs should commence 
at the shoulders, the feet being lightly and smoothly lifted 
from the ground and carried well forward at such a height 
as to safely pass over any ordinary obstruction. The knees 
should be flexed in front and not under the body. The feet 
must fall squarely but lightly on the ground, so that the 
shoes are worn down evenly. The elasticity of the pastern 
joint should serve to take up the shock occasioned by the 
leg resuming its support of the body. In a complete move- 
ment of the fore legs there should be no dishing nor swaying 
nor dipping of the body. 

Dishing and paddling are indicated by a horse throw- 
ing the fore leg to one side or the other of a vertical line 
dropped from the shoulder. Dishing or paddling may be 
detected by standing squarely behind a horse: if he dishes, 
the fore feet when elevated will be thrown outward ; if he 
paddles, the fore feet will be thrown inward. 

The hind legs should act in perfect harmony with the 
fore legs. The former should be drawn well under the body, 
the hocks well flexied and the movement springy. Viewed 
from the rear the hind feet should pass clear of each other 
by from two to four inches. If very much closer, the horse 
either brushes (interferes) or is predisposed to this serious 
fault; when the space is increased above six inches the horse 
will have a tendency to roll or straddle with a swinging 
stifle action. 

The sensational and flashy action that is met with in 
many of the horses of the large cities detracts from the ani- 
mal's power and speed ; the energy is unprofitably ex- 



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COLOR. Ill 

pended, the reach of the stride is shortened. In nine cases 
out of ten there is an entire absence of corresponding action 
in the hind legs, which gives these Hmbs the appearance of 
belonging to another horse. This extravagant indication of 
sustained animation is very fetching, and possibly desirable 
as a fitting accompaniment to a well appointed calling car- 
riage or the park trap, but — and it is a very serious " but " — 
this beautiful action is largely an artificial development, ob- 
tained by weighting the feet or schooling the horse over corn- 
stalks, etc. When once the animal has become accustomed to 
such an exaggerated form of locomotion the conditions that 
make it excusable are removed and the horse is placed on a 
comparatively level road. It may be argued that as this high 
action is confined to horses which are only required to do 
about half the work they are capable of performing, the use- 
less expenditure of force does no harm and unquestionably 
looks " smart." The defence of this senseless fashion is 
weak only in one spot, but in that lies the absolute destruc- 
tion of the argument in its defence. As these high, flashy 
actioned steeds are generally used by owners in large cities, 
the poor animals are punished at every step by the concus- 
sion occasioned by the heavy pounding on the non-elastic 
pavements. A proof of this may be seen in the scarcity of 
sound-legged, high-actioned horses that have had more than 
a year or so of service over the cobblestones. The excess- 
ive development of high action, if considered seriously, can 
only be deemed a cruel and expensive artificial production 
of fashion. 

COLOR. 

The old superstitious preference for some combinations 



112 COLOR. 

of colors is passing away, and it will only be remembered by 
such jingles as : 

" One white foot, buy him ; 
Two white feet, try him ; 
Three white feet, spy him ; 
Four white feet, do without him ; 
Four white feet and a white nose. 
Cut off his head and give him to the crows." 

That preference and prejudices regarding color exist to- 
day there is no question, but they are determined by fashion 
rather than upon any belief that the character and constitu- 
tion are indicated by the number of white feet or the exist- 
ence of a snip. However, as the strength of the color is 
thought to be dependent upon the circulation of the blood, 
horsemen are partial to deep colored coats, and for the same 
reason dislike horses whose coats become " washy" (light at 
the extremities). Another point regarding color, reasonably 
considered more seriously by hackmen, draymen and farmers 
than by the private owner, is the greater ability of dark 
horses to withstand the effects of heat, a fact readily ex- 
plained, as it is well known that light colored objects absorb 
and give out heat more slowly than dark ones which absorb 
and radiate heat rapidly. Dark coated horses are cooled by 
the rapid condensation of the vapor thrown off, while 
light colored coats, though a little longer in feeling the effects 
of the sun, receive proportionately less relief. 

White and gray horses are unpopular with both owners 
and stable servants. With the former on account of the 
loose hairs being more noticeable on the clothes and robes 
when the horse is shedding; and with the latter (the ser- 
vants) owing to the extra work occasioned by the coat 
becoming stained. 



COLOR. 113 

The horse's skin is usually black throughout, but it is 
sometimes pink in parts. The latter is free from pigment. 
Most white horses have black skins, but generally the skin 
under white markings is pink ; when the skin is pink the 
hair is always white. 

Bay is a reddish brown. A horse may be light, bright 
or a dark bay, according to the depth of the color of the coat. 

Black. Horses of this color have usually more or less 
white at the extremities. 

Brown is similar to bay, but without the reddish shade. 
A horse may be light or a dark brown, according to the 
depth of the color of the coat. 

Chestnut is a golden brown or reddish gold dust ; 
horses of this color are often marked by white at the extremi- 
ties. A horse may be dark, bright or light (mealy), accord- 
ing to the depth of the color of the coat. 

Dappled is a coat marked with rings or spots of a darker 
color than the ground color. 

Dun is a grayish brown or dark cream color. Horses of 
this color are generally marked by black at the extremities. 

Flea-bitten is a white coat in which red or dark hairs 
are largely intermingled. 

Gray is a mixture of white and blctck hairs. A horse 
may be light or dark gray, according to the predominance 
of either the black or white hairs. 

Piebald is, strictly speaking, a combination of black and 
white patches, in distinction to those of any other color. 

Roan is of a reddish or bluish shade, in which gray 
hairs are present. A horse may be a red roan, blue roan or 
strawberry roan, according to the character of the ground 
color of the coat. 



114 MEANS OF DETERMINING THE AGE. 

Skewbald is a combination of colors other than black and 
white. 

Sorrel is of a yellowish or reddish brown shade. 

In doubtful cases the color of the horse is determined by 
the color of the muzzles or lower part of the face. 

Cross-matched is the term used to describe the alternate 
shade of color of a four-horse team, that is, where the nigh 
wheeler is dark, the off wheeler light, the nigh leader light 
and the off leader dark ; or when in the reverse order. 

Fancy-matched is the term used to describe a distinct 
difference in color between horses driven as a pair or in 
tandem. A star is a white spot on the forehead. A snip is 
a white mark extending from the nostril to the mouth. A 
race is a white streak on the face. A blaze is a broad patch 
of white covering part of or the entire face. 

means of determining the age. 
The age of a horse between birth and the sixth year can 
be accurately determined by the changing peculiarities in 
the formation and development of the teeth, especially those 
of the lower jaw. After the sixth year the age can only be 
approximately known, yet many persons profess to be able 
to tell the exact age of any horse by examining the teeth. 

" After the mouth is fully completed, the age can only be approximately 
determined by the effect of wear in altering the shape of the teeth, by the 
receding of the gums and by other such signs. 

" Many circum'stances, however, often contribute to modify the effect of 
wear on the teeth, and also to increase or decrease the action of time in 
other respects. Hence, after six years old, a correct opinion can only be 



MEANS OF DETERMINING THE AGE. 115 

formed by those who have given to the subject some time, thought and 
trouble." — Sir F. Fitzwygram, " Horses atid Stables,''^ p. 42J. 

The lower jaw of a horse three years old is marked by 
two permanent centre teeth and two milk teeth on either 
side. 

The lower jaw of a horse four years old is marked by 
four permanent centre teeth and one milk tooth on either 
side. If the horse is a stallion or gelding the point of the 
tusks or tushes appears at a point somewhat farther back in 
the bars of the mouth. 

The lower jaw of a horse five years old is marked by six 
permanent teeth and the absence of the milk teeth. The 
corner teeth are without any interior wall. In stallions and 
geldings the tusks have become more prominent. 

The lower jaw of a horse six years old is marked by the 
six permanent teeth; the corner teeth have become filled in 
the centre, and in stallions and geldings the tusks have be- 
come developed. 

The milk teeth are smaller, whiter and smoother on the 
surface than the permanent teeth. After the sixth year the 
age is indicated by the number of teeth in which the dark 
mark in the centre is absent, and the gradual change in the 
shape from oval to almost square. At seven the mark dis- 
appears from the two centre teeth, at eight years from the four 
centre teeth, and by the time the horse has reached his ninth 
year the mark has usually disappeared from all. The pres- 
ence or absence of these marks may be affected by influences 
other than those of increasing age, and therefore they can- 
not be depended upon to accurately determine the age of 
the horse. 



116 DEFECTS AND BLEMISHES. 

DEFECTS AND BLEMISHES. 

Scars and bruises are occasioned either by accident or 
brutality, or are self-inflicted owing to faulty conformation, 
weakness or clumsiness. When these telltales are discov- 
ered they should be carefully examined in order to deter- 
mine their origin. When the fault lies in the horse, their 
appearance is limited to certain locations, and the position of 
each indicates a distinct form of weakness ; thus a horse 
that interferes or cuts himself will cause a sore, and in time 
a scar, to mark the point of contact between the leg and the 
hoof or shoe; again, the absence of hair on the knees or 
patches of different colored hair indicates that the horse is 
a stumbler and has at some time come down upon them, or 
if a hunter that he tops his fences. Long, thin lines free 
from hair just under the fetlock mark the animal as having 
suffered or suffering from grease, sand crack or mud fever. 
A line of white spots four or five inches long and an inch 
wide on the inside of the leg below the knee confirms a 
suspicion that the horse has been "fired" for splint, and so 
on adinfinitum. An owner or dealer has a long list of ex- 
planations with which to disarm adverse criticism and bol- 
ster up an animal's reputation, but they are no more likely to be 
true than is the supposition that the jade is a high stepper and 
broke the skin on his knees by hitting them against his chin. 
Horses that show any tenderness or lameness when driven 
or ridden, without any of the various devices employed to 
lessen concussion, should not be considered sound. When 
leather pads are found between the hoof and the shoe, or 
similar contrivances used, the horse should be reshod with a 
plain shoe before being tried. 

Fortunately the various remedies resorted to in serious 



MEASURING. 



117 



cases leave unmistakable traces of their application ; the dif- 
ficulty arises 'in discovering weakness and faults before they 
have given any self-evident indication of their presence. 

Any of the following conditions, when they absolutely 
impair the usefulness of a horse, are usually considered re- 
spectively unsoundness or vice. When they exist at the 
time of purchase the buyer is justified in returning a horse 
that has been guaranteed sound and free from vice: 



Balkiness. 


Cribbing. 


Navicular. 


Sidebones. 


Biting. 


Curbs. 


Unnerved. 


Spavin. 


Blindness. 


Farcy. 


Ophthalmia. 


Splint 


Bolting. 


Glanders. 


Organic diseases. 


Staggers. 


Broken down. 


Grease. 


Quittor. 


Stringhalt. 


Broken knee. 


Interfering. 


Rearing. 


Thick wind. 


Broken wind. 


Kicking. 


Rheumatism, 


Thoroughpin 


Cataract. 


Laminitis. 


Ringbones. 


Thrush. 


Corns. 


Mange. 


Roaring. 


Weaving. 


Cough. 


Megrims. 


Ruptures. 





Other blemishes than those mentioned, such as those re- 
sulting from the friction of the harness, or from knocks and 
blows, may or may not be of an objectionable nature, and as 
a rule are merely an eyesore or indications of bad blood or 
a tender skin. 

MEASURING. 

To properly determine the height of a horse the animal 
should be placed on a level floor of hard substance. The 
head should be held so that the line from the top of the 
horse's head (the poll) to the withers is parallel with the 
floor. The standard should be at right angles to the floor, 
and the arm of the measure at right angles with the upright 
section. The point at which the measurement should be taken 
is at the highest part of the withers. Many standards are 
made with spirit levels in both parts. A "hand" is four inches. 



118 STALLIONS, MARES AND GELDINGS. 

Should a purchaser require a horse of a certain size a 
dealer can often make his animal, if undersized, apparently 
accommodate himself to the demands of the occasion by 
placing him on the higher part of sloping ground, or vice 
versa when oversized. Many tricks are practised to make 
a horse flinch when the standard is put over his withers, 
and the hoofs are often pared down to such an extent that 
the horse would be lamed if used in this condition. Then 
again, after being physicked, the horse is fastened with his 
head tied high up and is not allowed to lie down for a week 
or ten days. 

STALLIONS, MARES AND GELDINGS. 

With the exception of stallions, which are rarely used, 
there exists considerable diversity of opinion regarding sex, 
but the balance of preference seems to be in favor of geld- 
ings. The writer has at the present time in his stable a 
stallion, a mare and a gelding, any of which are as pleasant 
to ride or drive as the average horse. Still there are many 
owners whose experience has taught them that, taken as a 
class, geldings prove the most serviceable and safest, as the 
most vicious representatives of the latter class are never so 
unmanageable as a violent stallion or mare. 

Stanley Harris, in " Old Coaching Days," page 264, in- 
troduces a road jingle expressing the uncertain disposition 
of mares as follows : 

" I have referred principally to the feminine gender in the above re- 
marks, as I believe, in nine cases out of ten, if there was a restive, vicious 
animal in the team, it turned out to be a mare, verifying the saying of the 
Irish postboy, when the gentleman in the post chaise complained of the 

pair : 

Says Paddy, 'These mares are not old offinders, 

But you can't place no reliance on feminine ginders.' " 



MANNERS. 119 

Regarding this point S. Sidney, in his " Book of the 
Horse," page 189, says : 

" All things being equal, a gelding will fetch more money as a hunter, 
carriage horse or hack than a stalhon or mare. Indeed, a stallion, if aged, 
unless with a character as a hunter, or remarkable action, and warranted 
quiet, is very difficult to sell at all, unless thoroughbred or of the heavy 
draft breed. Railroad companies charge double or nearly double fare for a 
single stallion, and often compel you to take a whole box. 

"The common theory is that for saddle, a gelding is worth at least 
^5 more than a mare equal in every other respect. For harness pur- 
poses some persons will not use a mare at all. High-priced pairs of full- 
sized carriage horses are always geldings. Job masters have scarcely any- 
thing else in their stables ; but on turning to the advertisements of sales by 
auction at Albert Gate, or to the catalogues of horse shows, it will be found 
that a very large number of hacks, not exceeding fifteen hands two inches, 
are described as quiet to drive as well as to ride, and that a very large per- 
centage of these are mares, which, when well bred, are usually handsomer 
than geldings, and have more character. 

" You find a great many mares worked in harness in light carriages, 
both single and double. In my time I have had more mares than geldings, 
always drove them in harness, and never met with a serious accident ; but 
then my horses, although full fed, were never idle, a condition which in 
horses, as well as men, is the root of all evil. 

"A good mare must not be rejected, although a gelding is decidedly to 
be preferred for harness purposes, for it can be shown, on undeniable evi- 
dence, that a number of very valuable harness horses are mares, and equally 
good in harness and under saddle. Before the Franco-German war, a light 
boned gray mare was the byword for the most unprofitable, unsalable arti- 
cle in horse flesh ; but since that cavalry-consuming epoch there is a pur- 
chaser for a good horse of either sex o^ color." 

MANNERS. 

Until very recently dealers paid little or no attention to 
training their horses in the proper performance of the duties 
they were called upon to serve when they became the prop- 



120 MANNERS. 

erty of a private owner. A few men have discovered that 
horses properly broken, bitted and accustomed to the city 
sights, commanded an additional value and added a new ele- 
ment to the reputation of the dealer. To those who under- 
stand horses it is not sufficient that an animal should be 
merely well formed, accustomed to draft and comparatively 
docile, but if they are intended to be put immediately to draw- 
ing a carriage, it is necessary that the horse should have 
been accustomed to the bearing-rein, the various forms of 
driving or riding bits, the flexing of the neck, so that these 
bits will act as they are intended to do, that the animal will 
stand quietly and " have passed satisfactorily through the 
other rudiments of schooling." It is evident, after a mo- 
ment's reflection, how greatly the value of a horse is en- 
hanced by such training, and to what extent it increases the 
pleasure of the owner or the rider and mitigates against the 
chance of accident. 




CHAPTER VII. 



THE CHOICE OF A HORSE. 

TYPES, CARRIAGE HORSES, SADDLE HORSES, SOURCES OF 
SUPPLY, VALUES AND BUYING. 

Before participating in 
the great lottery of horse 
buying it is advisable to 
have a distinct predeter- 
mined idea of what order 
of equipage best satisfies 
the combined demands of 
one's needs and desires. 
For a small stable, the 
author advises the pro- 
spective owner to select, 
first whatever design of 
carriage is most suited to his requirements, and then to buy 
a serviceable horse to draw the chosen carriage. In this 
way, by working from the demands of the case down, the 
accessories are made subservient and a discordant effect is 
less likely to be produced. The following quotations will 
serve to emphasize this advice : 

" Every man knows the purpose or purposes for which he wants a horse ; 
but as possibly he does not know the sort fit for the purpose, let him at least 
show this much judgment — let him buy one that has been satisfactorily 
doing the same sort of work he wants him for, and one that has been sea- 
soned to it. Such a horse, from many circumstances, he may have the 




122 THE CHOICE OF A HORSE. 

opportunity of buying at a fair price ; in short, at something like his ordi- 
nary value. I am now only alluding to road horses, for we will not suppose 
any man insane enough to contemplate buying hunters unless he is a good 
judge of them ; and, indeed, unless he is this, and a good horseman to 
boot, he will have no occasion, or, I should think, inclination to possess 
them. Mrs. Glass says, ' first catch your hare ' ; but she supposes you to 
be already a cook, otherwise she would probably have said, 'first make 
yourself a cook ' ; so I should say, first make yourself a horseman, then 
get the hunters. 

"When I recommend the tyro among horses only to buy such as he 
has seen doing in a satisfactory way the description of work for which he 
wants them, I must give him another caution, and that is, to consider 
whether he is judge enough to decide whether the horse has done this 
work in a proper manner; for a satisfactory way, as the term is here 
applicable, renders it by no means a definite one ; as the question may 
be put, ^satisfactory way,' to whom? For if it is only satisfactory to a 
person who does not know how work ought to be done, the buyer may 
get possession of a brute that he will not find it very easy to get rid of 
under considerable loss. Doing work as it ought to be done, and only doing 
it somehow, just makes the difference, in two horses of similar age, sound- 
ness, and appearance, of being worth a hundred and forty, or only forty " 
(pounds). — The Pocket and Stud, pp. 24, 2j. 

" I conclude my first chapter (it might well be called the chapter of 
accidents) by advising my reader before he starts upon a similar expedi- 
tion to ask himself seriously the question, what sort of a horse he wants. 
It is a curious though an undoubted truth, that not one man in fifty ever 
thinks of taking this ordinary precaution. Of course, I do not include 
professed sportsmen, whether in the field or on the turf ; they generally 
* understand their business,' and set to work accordingly ; but there are 
some hundreds, perhaps thousands, who at the approach of summer must 
needs buy a horse, and, like myself, consider it much the same thing as buy- 
ing a bootjack." — Sir George Stephen, " Adventures of a Gentleman in 
Search of a Horse,'' p. g. 

A horse that has had some service and is sound is better 
than a young untried animal. The chances for profitable 



TYPES OF HORSES— CARRIAGE HORSES. 123 

service are greater with a good seven or eight year old horse 
than with a healthy four or five year old, whose bones and 
muscles are soft and weak, making the development of 
temporary or permanent lameness a likely possibility. 

TYPES OF HORSES. 

The division of horses competing at horse shows into 
different classes has taught the onlooker to realize that the 
various purposes for which horses are employed demand ani- 
mals especially adapted to their respective labors. Those 
persons who have made a study of the subject know that 
heavy carriages require large, powerful horses which in a 
smaller and lighter vehicle would produce the effect of " a 
man doing a boy's work," and that a saddle horse should 
be of a size and build proportionate to the weight he is to 
carry. Hence it may be said that the division of horses 
into classes is the result of an endeavor to establish a bal- 
ance of proportion between the horse and his work. With 
this end in view various types of horses have been bred with 
the greatest care and attention to the development of those 
qualifications which render them particularly adaptable, in 
the combination of strength, symmetry, disposition and man- 
ners, for some specific work. The result is that the well 
bred horse of the present day represents one of the several 
distinct types having an inherent aptitude for performing a 
limited range of work. 

CARRIAGE HORSES. 

The best carriage horses are of two general types: 
First, the small, compact, quick stepping animals. They 
range in height between fourteen two and fifteen hands two 
inches. When well bred and carefully selected they combine 



124 CARRIAGE HORSES. 

strength with great activity, are strong and hardy, and are 
consequently excellent for city work or for all-round use. 
A well matched pair, sound and young, are worth at the 
present time from five hundred to fifteen hundred dollars 
according to the shape, action, color and the degree to 
which they are mated. Second, the larger class of carriage 
horse, resembling the hunter in conformation, and many of 
the best of these horses are in fact hunter bred and conse- 
quently have some thoroughbred blood in their veins. The 
best of the produce are retained for the chase, and the others 
are developed into carriage and saddle horses. In build 
this class of horse is somewhat like the lanky coach horse 
of the "good old days." They should be flat limbed, have 
plenty of bone and show breeding. Their value is about 
the same as that of the preceding type, but instances are 
not wanting of an individual horse bringing over four thou- 
sand dollars. 

In reference to the use of the hunter bred horse for car- 
riage work, the Earl of Onslow, in " Driving," Badminton 
Library, p. 54, says : 

" Many of the points and qualifications of a hunter are equally desir- 
able in the carriage horse ; but inasmuch as the latter is not called upon to 
take any weight upon his back, it obviously is not necessary that his bones 
should be as big and as strong as an animal which is expected to carry 
fourteen or fifteen stone across country. Many a horse with straight shoul- 
ders and weak points which would lead to its rejection as a hunter might prove 
a serviceable, and even pass as a good looking, harness horse. The value 
of a carriage horse, therefore, is considerably less than that of a hunter." 

By crossing the trotting bred horse with the hackney, 
French coach or thoroughbred, a variety of types has been 
produced that has supplied the demands more successfully 



CARRIAGE HORSES. 125 

than any pure bred stamp. The representatives of these 
types are so uneven that it is difficult to set any value which 
would be at all comprehensive. All that can be said is that 
its inferior members can be picked up very cheap, while 
those that are well formed and have good manners command 
a very tidy figure. The hackney was at one time con- 
sidered the carriage horse par excellence, but he is unable 
to compete successfully with other types in the show ring, and 
the high price these horses once commanded has diminished, 
and now a half bred hackney is fully as much in demand. 

The large family coach horse, with flowing mane and 
tail, so popular fifty years ago, is again finding favor with 
the owners of large carriages of a semi-state character. 
When driven as a pair they produce a fine effect and are 
very useful for heavy work. When driven single or to a 
light wagon it is at once apparent that they are out of their 
element. They should be strong but of quick, light action. 
As such horses are generally only employed by persons 
keeping large stables, they command the fancy price of luxu- 
ries, and their value is based rather on what a buyer is able 
and likely to pay than upon any commercial estimate of 
their worth. 

In the large cities the inferior types of carriage horse 
are represented by an animal that is a cross-bred beast, 
heavy in head, neck and chest, the disproportionate develop- 
ment of which part has resulted in the lack of a correspond- 
ing strength in the other half of the body. This coarseness 
truthfully indicates the presence of cart horse blood. Such 
an animal lacks natural speed, action or animation, for which 
reasons he is only fit for slow draft work. A "screw" of 
this stamp is deficient in intelligence and stamina, and is 



126 THE SINGLE CARRIAGE HORSE. 

usually either dull and heavy or stubborn and vicious. From 
this nondescript class the inferior carriage, hack, express 
and other orders of draft horses are drawn. A conservative 
or timid buyer is often persuaded to take one of these " nice 
useful sort," as they are termed by the auctioneers, because 
they appear to be docile and are " sold for a mere song," 
though they are actually dear as a gift. The author's advice 
is to look for more breeding, it is cheaper and safer in the 
long run. The value of a horse of the stamp above de- 
scribed ranged in 1898 between forty and one hundred 
dollars. 

THE SINGLE CARRIAGE HORSE. 

In consequence of the practical economy of establishing 
a balance of forces, the design and weight of the carriage 
should in a laroe measure determine the size and build of 
the horse which is to draw it. Any lack of harmony, aris- 
inor from the horse being: too laro^e for the vehicle or vice 
versa, ought to be guarded against. The incongruous effect 
made by placing an ill-shaped, spiritless jade in the shafts 
of a stylish carriage is another common instance of bad judg- 
ment in the original or subsequent purchase of a horse. 
Hence for an establishment where only one horse is to be 
kept, the special or various kinds of work which the animal 
will have to perform should guide the purchaser and prompt 
him to select a horse within certain limits. 

The work of one horse in the city will, in most cases, be 
that of drawing a brougham, or its equivalent in the matter 
of weight, twelve to fourteen hundred pounds, therefore a 
horse measuring from 15 hands 2 inches to 16 hands i inch 
and weighing between ten and twelve hundred pounds will 
be required, varying according to the size of the vehicle. 



THE SINGLE CARRIAGE HORSE. 127 

As many owners wish to use the same horse to a light 
wagon in summer, it is advisable when such is the case to 
buy a horse somewhat smaller and lighter than would be 
desirable were the work during the summer as heavy as that 
in the city ; but it must be borne in mind that a large horse 
is better able to draw a light wagon than a small animal to 
pull a heavy one. 

For country or suburban work the class of horse that 
has been found most serviceable is an animal somewhat 
smaller, lighter and faster than those used in the city. The 
carriages are lighter and of greater variety, and the same 
horse that is used to draw a station wagon may be required 
to appear later in a two-wheeler for an afternoon drive. In 
buying horses for the country their manners become a 
more important consideration than in those horses which are 
driven exclusively by an experienced coachman. In order 
that they may be driven in safety and with pleasure by any 
members of the family, such horses should be free from 
all vices, such as rearing, jibbing, etc., and should have good 
mouths. When horses are intended for out-of-town work 
exclusively, the trotter or road horse is a very serviceable 
but not a stylish stamp, and is always open to the objection 
of being unfit for heavy city work. At fashionable summer 
resorts, where the roads are smooth and hard, and the car- 
riages used are as heavy as those for the town, an owner 
will need the large stamp of horse described in the preced- 
ing paragraph. 

When a horse is beino^ bousfht for a two-wheeled cart it 
is of much importance that the animal should have a smooth, 
even gait. A horse that rolls, pounds or stumbles should be 
immediately rejected. 



128 A PAIR— THE BROUGHAM HORSE. 

A PAIR. 

In buying a pair of horses there are several important 
considerations to be thought of after the matter of sound- 
ness, etc., have been looked into. The first requisite is that 
they should correspond to a nicety in size and build. It 
very often happens that a horse measuring the same at the 
withers as his mate will be several inches higher or lower 
at the quarters ; therefore see that the general outline from 
the height of the head to that of the quarters of one horse 
corresponds to a nicety with that of the other. It is one of 
the rarest and yet most desirable attributes of the pair that 
they should be of equal muscular and nervous development. 
Any great dissimilarity is likely to result in one horse being 
a freer and faster traveller, and he will either tire his slower 
companion or will exhaust himself drawing more than his 
share of the weight. A pair working away from the pole 
or pressing in often do so as a result of badly coupled reins, 
or the fault may be rectified by changing their positions, 
placing the off horse on the nigh side and the nigh horse 
on the off. If the color of the pair is the same there should 
be no great difference in its shade, /. e., if one horse is a 
dark chestnut the other should not be a light chestnut. 

Roans and bright chestnuts are the hardest of any to 
match. The darker shades of any color are said, with much 
truth, to indicate greater vitality. 

THE BROUGHAM HORSE, 

The qualifications desirable in a brougham horse are 
set forth by S. Sidney in his work entitled " The Book of 
the Horse," p. 526, as follows : 

" Every sort of a horse may be seen in broughams ; heavy brutes just 



THE BROUGHAM HORSE. 129 

fit for Pickford's vans ; light weeds, more suited to a butcher's flying cart ; 
prancing giraffes, that, if black, would be in place in a mourning coach ; 
plodding cobs, travelling with necks poked out like a harnessed pig. Fortu- 
nately, many people are content with anything that will draw them, and no 
more think of looking at the form of a horse than at that of a locomotive 
steam engine. 

" But the brougham horse proper, although he may have many defects, 
should have certain qualities. He may carry such an exaggerated forehead 
as to make riding him out of the question ; but he should stand well, in a 
noble attitude, and should move with a certain grandeur of action, the very 
opposite of the quick, sharp pace of a mail-phaeton pair. He may have 
an ugly head, which can be concealed in a very elaborate bridle, and a 
shabby tail which can be supplied by a false one, but he must carry both 
well. In a full-sized brougham, weight is indispensable ; in a light, single 
or miniature brougham, a blood horse is more appropriate. In either case 
the size of the horse should be in harmony with the size of the carriage. 
It is as great an error in taste to use a large beast like a camel, almost lift- 
ing the fore wheels off the ground if he make an extra stride, as to have a 
horse so small, and working with his neck so low, that he is lost in the shafts. 
If full of courage he will very soon be worn out by overweight. 

" A first-class brougham horse (according to a great authority at 
Knightsbridge, who long had the exclusive selection of the late Emperor 
Napoleon's harness-stud) should be long and low, full-barrelled, and from 
15 hands to 15 hands 3 inches high, according to the size and weight of 
the carriage. Nothing looks worse than a horse too small or too tall. In 
the one case he seems buried in the shafts and harness ; in the other he is 
constantly pulling up the wheels, and by his size dwarfs the brougham. He 
should have a broad chest, a lofty crest, a broad back (if rather hollow it 
is no objection), a flowing mane, a full tail well carried, presenting a com- 
bination of breeding and power. His action should be grand, stately, ma- 
chine-like, forward action all round, each foot keeping time as truly as 
Sir Michael Costa's baton. Champing his bit, arching his neck, and bend- 
ing his knees, he should trot eight miles an hour, and be able to do twelve ; 
for although the brougham is not intended, when drawn by one horse, to 
be rattled along like a hansom cab, there are times when you are really 
hurried, late for an appointment with a lady, or a secretary of the state — 



130 THE VICTORIA, STANHOPE OR T-CART HORSE. 

then it is very provoking to have your coachman whipping, and your two- 
hundred guinea purchase seesawing Uke a rocking horse, ' all action and no 

go.' 

" There is no mistake greater than selecting horses too large for single 
harness — 15 hands 3 inches is high enough for any brougham; above that 
height they may do for parade purposes, but they wear themselves out with 
their own weight on anything like a journey, say from Kensington to High- 
gate." — /. 210. 

" Formerly all the (royal) work was done by coaches and chariots, now 
there are broughams and clarences ; for these we buy smaller horses. We 
have nothing under sixteen hands in the town carriages. The smaller horses 
are much more durable ; in fact, if it were not for the look of the thing 
they would draw the big coaches much better than the bigger Clevelands. 
The smaller horses are more fashionable, more are bred, and therefore 
they are more easily obtained ; they are much less likely to become roarers 
than larger horses. We hardly ever had an instance of a harness horse 
not over 15 hands 3 inches becoming a roarer, whereas almost all our big 
bay horses end by being so." — Colonel G. A. Maude, C. B., Crown 
Equerry, Ibid., p. 24g. 

" Horses not under fifteen hands two inches. To be shown before a 
brougham ; the horse to count 50 per cent ; the brougham, 25 ; harness, 15 ; 
liveries, 10. The horses should have good manners, stand quietly and back 
well." — From the Catalogue 0/ the National Horse Show Association, i8g8. 

THE VICTORIA, STANHOPE OR T-CART HORSE. 

Horses for such carriages should be similar to those 
described for a brougham, but as these vehicles are not so 
heavy the horses may be correspondingly lighter, quicker 
stepping, and of a more breedy type. As the horses carry 
a minimum amount of harness there is every chance for the 
display of fine proportion and beauty of outline. The size 
desirable is given in a quotation from the National Horse 
Show Catalogue of 1898: 

"Pair of Horses, not under 15 hands 3 inches, suitable for a Stanhope, 
Victoria or similar vehicle. Should have conformation, quality, style, and 



BAROUCHE, MAIL PHAETON, HANSOM HORSES. 131 

all-around action ; excessive pace will not be required. . (To be shown to 
an appropriate four-wheeled vehicle.)" 

THE BAROUCHE HORSE. 

The type of horse for a barouche is described by S. 
Sidney, p. 247 as follows : 

" Barouche horses are expected to show more blood and quality, to be 
better travellers than w^ould be selected for a suburban visit rather than grand 
elephantine stepping coach horses ; indeed, the best barouche horses are 
very like the best hunters." 

THE MAIL PHAETON HORSE. 

The same writer, referring to horses for mail phaetons, 
says : 

" The very finest horses of the most brilliant action, ' stepping and 
going,' look their best in a mail phaeton ; but if your taste and means in- 
cline you rather for utility than for ornament, for long distances rather than 
the solemn yet sociable parades of the Park or the Champs Elysees, a pair 
of low-priced screws, as your richer friends will term them, if with ' charac- 
ter ' and breeding, in first-class condition and workmanlike harness, will do 
very well." — /. 534, 535. 

" The mail phaeton of the pre-railway generation required a pair of 
powerful horses, nearly if not quite 16 hands high. The modern phaetons, 
that have taken the place of that ponderous carriage so useful and pleas- 
ant in its way, intended either for country use or park parades, are so 
much lighter that full-sized horses are quite out of place in them. A phae- 
ton of suitable size may be perfectly well horsed in every respect by horses 
of from 14 hands 3 inches to 15 hands i inch. When a pair of horses are 
used for several purposes, to draw a full-sized brougham or landau, as well 
as a mail phaeton, 1 5 hands 2 inches may be found a more useful size. Be- 
yond that height, unless exceedingly well bred, it is difficult to find horses 
which are pleasant for a gentleman to drive." — /. 241. 

THE HANSOM HORSE. 

Again quoting from S. Sidney, he says regarding the de- 
sirable qualifications for a hansom horse : 



132 RUN-ABOUT, CABRIOLET, COACH HORSES. 

" To ride safely in a high two-wheeled carriage you require a horse 
with good trotting action and sound feet. A game but groggy horse can 
safely pull a four-wheeler. 

"A private hansom requires a better horse than a brougham, if not so 
fashionable, because, in spite of the very best balancing, there must be some 
weight in going down hills ; and he should also be fast, equal to at least 
twelve miles an hour when required, fourteen are better. Pace and ease of 
motion are the features of this vehicle, which is a very useful addition to a 
well furnished coach house at a mansion where no severe rise intervenes on 
the road to a railway station to and from which the head of the establish- 
ment has frequent occasion to travel." — p. 543. 

THE RUN-ABOUT. 

The horse for this type of vehicle should be between 15 
and 15 hands 25^ inches. The plate of " The Whirl of the 
Town " indicates the conformation to be desired. Neither 
speed nor action should be very pronounced, but they should 
be combined to a degree that renders the horse a handy one 
for the purposes for which a carriage of this type is intended. 

THE CABRIOLET HORSE. 

Although the cabriolet is seldom used at the present 
time, it may be of interest to give what was considered a 
proper type of horse for this vehicle : 

"Very few gentlemen now drive a cabriolet, and of those who do fewer 
still have a really perfect ' cab ' horse, an animal which was once eagerly 
sought for. In shape he was supposed to be nearly faultless, to stand not 
less than 16 hands high, and to have action which could hardly be too 
extravagant. It was a purely ornamental possession, usefulness being left 
out of the question. A man who desired such a luxury did not care much 
what price he paid. It is the most expensive of single-harness horses." — 
Earl of Ofisiow, ''Driving,'' Badminton Library, p. jj. 

THE COACH HORSE. 
" So much difference of opinion is there as to what is the best and 



THE COACH HORSE. 133 

pleasantest style of coach horse to drive, that we are not likely to find ourselves 
in agreement with all our readers upon this subject. The old stagecoach- 
men used to say that they liked the big, heavy horse for a hilly team, and 
the small, compact, quick-stepping, fast-galloping little horse for a flat stage. 
We must remember that in those days, when the coach was the only con- 
veyance of the country, the loads were very heavy, and no doubt the big, 
heavy-plodding horse put his shoulder well to it, and got the coach up the 
hill with less trouble to himself and his coachman, than the smaller and 
lighter team of horses would have done. In these days, when the road 
coaches only carry passengers and no luggage to speak of, even if there is 
any at all, we should prefer for all sorts of roads short-stepping and small 
though thick horses. They are infinitely pleasanter to drive. Anybody who 
has had the experience of taking off a big, lolloping team of rather under- 
bred horses who are very tired, and have been hanging on the coachman's 
hands for the last two or three miles of the stage, will understand what a 
pleasure and a relief it is to feel the quick, sharp trot of a little team of 
fresh horses. 

" Difference of opinion exists as to the respective heights of wheelers 
and leading horses. Some like them exactly the same size, others prefer 
a big wheel horse and a little leader ; others again like a thick, low wheel 
horse and rather a taller and slighter leader. In our opinion, this latter is 
the perfection of a team. It looks better when they are coming to you, as 
well as when you are sitting on the coach. We do not think, however, it 
really signifies either one way or the other. We have driven teams of horses 
of all sorts and shapes and sizes, and we have found them to go equally well, 
whether the leaders were the same size, or larger, or smaller than the other 
horses. It is a matter of ' taking the eye,' and for appearance we prefer the 
small, thick wheeler and the tall, light leader. 

" But there are gentlemen who, having had too much to occupy them in 
their youth, and having more leisure as they get further on in life, might 
wish to start a team, and might refer to these volumes for advice how to do 
so. To them we would say, get your wheel horses as strong as is consistent 
with activity. If you have the choice between the good-actioned horse that 
is not quite so strong and a stronger horse that is not quite of such good 
action, the judicious course will be to buy the good-actioned horse. 

" As regards the stamp of horses for a long and hard day's work, there is 



134 THE ROADSTER. 

nothing can beat a thoroughbred one. The more blood you have in horses 
you drive, the better you will be able to do long and trying journeys. Still 
such animals are scarcely what we should designate by the word coach horses. 
If you have not very long stages to go, you can indulge your fancy by study- 
ing from the old pictures the stamp of horse that was used formerly, before 
the railways ran the coaches clean off the roads. It is not at all disagreeable 
amusement going about and trying to find horses of the same stamp that 
were used in those days. Of course, the very short tails which the coach 
horses and posters had in those days very much alter the appearance of the 
stamp of horse, and render it more difficult to procure the exact variety that 
was formerly used, because if they exist they are so changed. An inexperi- 
enced man cannot realize the extent to which a horse's appearance can be 
altered by putting him on a long or a short tail. It is only to the well prac- 
tised eye of a man very conversant with horses that the exact shape and 
make can be detected under the altered circumstances of a long or a short 
tail." — Duke of Beaufort, " Driving,'' p. 77 et seq. 

THE ROADSTER. 

The roadster, although the offspring of selected English 
racing stock, is an individual and national type, whose pop- 
ularity is no longer confined entirely to this country. For 
fast driving this horse is preeminent and those of the better 
class are virtually thoroughbred animals of some known 
prowess in the matter of speed. They are good and inter- 
esting light wagon horses as they are capable of affording 
amusement to the owner in the way of a " brush " or a " spin " 
with some rival during the course of an afternoon's drive. 
Owing to their " sporting associations" they are not appro- 
priate for a woman to drive. These horses should be driven 
in simple, plain, light harness to a correspondingly simple 
and light vehicle; the buggy is the carriage most commonly 
used. Owing to the entire dissimilarity existing between 
the roadster and the other types of carriage horses it is im- 




2 

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STANDARD, CHILDREN'S PONY, SADDLE HORSE. 135 

possible to use them in making up a pair with heavier and 
higher actioned animals ; for this reason they are not as ser- 
viceable in a small stable as horses of the heavier class. The 
value of the road horse is based almost entirely upon con- 
formation and manners, in distinction to the consideration of 
the excessive speed that determines the value of a trotter for 
racing purposes. 

STANDARD OR NON-STANDARD. 

" A roadster when mature for driving should not be under fifteen hands 
high. Conformation, style of going, manners, hock and knee action, whether 
driven with ordinary or heavy shoes to force action ; also whether strained 
with checking or severe bits, and as they are and appear at the time of show- 
ing in the ring, will be considered in judging."—- ^ww the Catalogue of the 
National Horse Show Association, i8g8. 

THE children's PONY. 

The three most important qualifications of a children's 
pony are: First, that he should be well mannered, i. e., 
free from all vices, such as kicking, shying, bolting, etc. ; 
second, that the animal should be well bitted, i. e., amenable 
to all forms of control by the reins ; third, that he should 
possess considerable strength and be of proper size for the 
pony cart or chaise, /. e., powerful enough to draw, if it is 
desired, a grown person as well as the children. 

THE SADDLE HORSE. 

A horse intended for drawing a heavy carriage will not 
be good under saddle as his gait is restricted first by his size, 
and secondly by the constant exertions of the draft muscles 
instead of those required for a free even stride. Regarding 
the impracticability of trying to combine the qualities of the 



136 THE SADDLE HORSE. 

carriage and saddle horse in one animal, Sir George Stephen 
says : 

" There is not one horse in fifty that is adapted both for the saddle and 
for harness ; I once had a galloway that rarely stumbled in harness, though 
he would not have carried the best rider, of feather weight, half a dozen 
miles without as many falls. Yet he was perfectly sound, and continued sound 
for five years that he remained in my possession." — The Adventures of a 
Gentleman in Seaixh of a Hoise, p. 12. 

In his book entitled Horses and Stables, p. 466, Sir F. 
Fitzwygram gives the following advice to the purchaser of a 
saddle horse : 

" In measuring a horse or judging of his height and size by sight, take 
care that he stands on a level with yourself. Dealers generally stand a 
horse, if under-sized, on higher ground, or if over-sized, on lower ground 
than the intending purchaser. 

Want of a fair amount of breeding should be an absolute bar. 

Reject a horse with a big coarse head. 

With a small sunken eye. They are generally obstinate and sulky. 

Of a color light of the sort. 

With a long slack back. It will not carry weight. 

With a hollow back. The formation is weak. 

With flat sides. They will not do work nor look well. 

With a slack loin, /. <?., undue length between the last ribs and hind 
quarters (sacrum). They are often bad feeders and will run up 
light with work. 

With a light loin, /. e., want of breadth over the loins. They run up 
light with work. 

With scraggy hips. They never do credit to feeding, particularly if also 
slack in the loins'. 

With a bad girth, /'. e., Might through the heart.' This formation will 
always cause trouble in saddling. 

With a thick or short neck. 

Unless it has a good rein. With a clumsy neck the head is in conse- 
quence badly set on. Without a good rein a horse will never 
break weH, or be pleasant to ride. 

With very low withers. The saddle will be apt to work forwards, and 



THE SADDLE HORSE, 137 

the ' rein ' will probably be deficient, and the leverage for the 
muscles of the forehand is defective. 

To see the above points stand on the side and form your opinion before 
the horse moves off. 

Reject a horse with a narrow or shallow chest. There is not sufficient 
capacity for the lungs. 

With fore legs very close together. This and the former defect gener- 
ally go together. To see these points stand in front. 

Whose fore legs are not straight. They will not stand wear. Stand 
behind the horse as he walks away from you, and you will be 
able to notice these defects, if they exist. 

Which is light below the knee, especially if light immediately beloiu 
the knee. The conformation is essentially weak. 

With long, or with short or with upright pasterns. Long pasterns are 
subject to sprains. Short or upright pasterns make a horse un- 
pleasant to ride, and on account of extra concussion are apt 
to cause ossific deposits. 

With toes turned in or out. The twist generally occurs at the fet- 
lock. Toes turned out are more objectionable than toes 
turned in. When toes are turned out, the fetlocks are gener- 
ally turned in, and animals so formed are very apt to cut or 
brush. Both, however, are weak formations. 

Whose hind legs are too far behind. Good propelling power will be 
wanting, and disease as a result may be expected in the hocks. 

Which goes either very wide or very close behind. 

With very straight or very bent hocks. The former cause undue con- 
cussion, the latter are apt to give way. 

Which is ' split up,' /. e., shows much daylight between his thighs. 
Propelling power comes from behind, and must be deficient in 
horses without due muscular development between the thighs. 

With flat feet or over-large feet, also with very small feet. Medium 
size are the best. 

With one foot smaller than another." 

The recognition of the importance of having the size of 



138 THE SADDLE HORSE. 

the horse correspond with the weight he is to carry is shown 
by the following quotation : 

" To be judged by their quality, manners and ability to carry the weight 
specified in their respective classes. Manners to count 50 per cent; con- 
formation, 25 \ quality, 25. The paces required to be shown, except in Class 
82, will be a free open walk, square trot and easy canter. The judge or 
judges will be requested to ride such of the horses as they may deem worthy 
to receive ribbons in the final awards. 

"Horses over 14 hands i inch and under 15 hands, up to carrying 
160 lbs. 

" Horses, 15 hands and under 15 hands 2 inches, three years old or over, 
up to carrying 160 lbs. 

" Horses, 15 hands 2 inches or over, three years old or over, up to 
carrying 160 lbs. 

"Horses, 15 hands 2 inches or over, three years old or over, up to 
carrying 200 lbs. 

"Ladies' saddle horse, not under 14 hands 3 inches, three years old or 
over." — From the Catalogue of the National Horse Show Association, i8g8. 

Regarding the qualifications of a woman's saddle horse, 
Mrs. Hays, in her book entitled " The Horsewoman," p. 2 
et seq., says : 

" However well a woman may ride, she should not have a horse that ' plays 
up' when he is being mounted, or sprawls all over the place, and requires 
constant pulling together when the rider is in the saddle. 

"Besides the requisites already mentioned, the ordinary lady rider 
should have a horse that goes in a naturally collected style, has a good 
mouth, is easy in his paces, so that he may not fatigue her unnecessarily, is 
sure-footed, and is thoroughly ' confidential ' in his manners. Almost all 
women like the light-hearted, showy horses ; although they generally desire 
the fire and gayety to be well under control. Some of the plucky, hard- 
riding sort love to steer horses which other ladies would be 'afraid of their 
lives ' to mount. Those who are timid, or who are just beginning to learn, 
should be put on perfectly steady ' machines ' that are easy in their paces, 
and will allow their mouths to be pulled about, without resenting the inter- 



II 




PRIZE-WINNING LADIES SADDLE-HORSE, " LADY BONNIE. 



THE SADDLE HORSE. 139 

ference. If such an animal be rather ' woodeny ' in his paces, no fault 
should be found with him on that account. 

"The style of horse should, if possible, be in thorough keeping with 
that of the rider. A young lady with a slight, pretty figure will look best on 
a horse which is all blood and quality ; though a portly and dignified matron 
will be best suited with one of the weight-carrying hunter stamp, or with a 
clever cob. Fifteen hands is a nice height for a horse to carry a lady five 
feet high. We might add an inch in height for the horse for every two 
inches by which the rider exceeds five feet. I hardly think that a woman 
will be comfortable and look well on a pony that is less than 13 hands 3 
inches high. 

"The horse or pony should be quite twenty-one pounds, taken from a 
man's point of view, above the weight he has to carry ; as extra fatigue is 
entailed on him by the side position of the rider. Besides this, a woman 
cannot ease her mount by altering her seat, or getting off for a short time, 
as a man may do during a long ride. Taking for granted that every saddle 
horse should be practically sound, we should especially look in the lady's 
horse for good shoulders (long, flat and oblique) and a well put-on head 
and neck. If his shoulders are faultless, his action, as a rule, will be safe and 
pleasant. If his head and neck are right, he will readily bend to the rein, 
to do which, owing to the high position of the hands, might be a difficulty 
to animals whose heads and necks are not well placed. I have seen so 
many cases of sore back arise from the fact of the horse having thin withers, 
that I would warn ladies against riding animals which have this kind of con- 
formation. 

" Horses that are lower in front than over the croup are seldom com- 
fortable to ride. Besides, a horse with this shape will have a difificulty in 
retaining the sidesaddle in its place. We must remember that a man's 
saddle has not nearly as great a tendency to shift its position as a side- 
saddle. First, because the tree is made to lie closer to the back ; secondly, 
there is not the disturbing side play; and thirdly, the grip of the knees 
(which is absent with the sidesaddle) helps to keep it in its place. For 
these reasons, a comparatively high forehand is a more desirable point in a 
lady's horse than in one intended for a man. It is also well for a lady's nag 
to be fairly broad in the back ; for the saddle will then have less tendency 
to shift than if he were narrow. As a sidesaddle goes farther back than a 



140 THE HACK. 

man's saddle, a long-backed horse will look better in the former than in the 
latter. This fact, however, is no argument in favor of length of back in a 
lady's horse. I may mention that undue length of back is a grave defect in 
any kind of a horse, no matter what may be the work for which he is in- 
tended. For riding, an animal cannot have too short a back. 

"A lady's horse should carry his head at an angle of 45° to the ground. 
He should neither bore his head down nor have the habit of chucking it up. 
Unless the rider is a fine horsewoman, her mount should not have a very 
light mouth ; for if he has, he will be apt to resent any undue interference, 
and may get out of control on slight provocation. Besides, very delicate- 
mouthed horses which have (as would be necessary for a lady) a lofty car- 
riage of the head, are apt to rear, if their mouths are pulled about. To 
avoid any such objectionable tendency, a woman cannot drop her hands in 
the same way as a man. The action of her hands being thus hampered by 
the way she is perched up on her saddle, her horse's mouth should not be so 
sensitive that he would not allow some liberties to be taken with it. I may 
mention that rearing is one of the most dangerous vices a lady's horse can 
possess ; because, when he is in the act of ' coming over,' it is almost im- 
possible for her to jump off and get clear of danger; nor can she lower her 
hands and throw her weight forward (like a man can do) so as to prevent 
the animal from getting up to the critical point. 

" For ladies, geldings are preferable to either horses or mares. The 
former are especially objectionable in England ; the latter, in tropical 
climates. 

THE HACK. 

" The perfect hack must have a variety of excellences such as, indeed, 
are very rarely found in one horse, but the real requisites may perhaps be 
reduced to four. In the first place, it goes without saying that he must be 
free from any such obvious disqualifications as rank unsoundness or pro- 
nounced vice. A little blood is, however, a great desideratum in a saddle 
horse, and in general there are no better animals for the purpose than half- 
breds, who unite the grace and fashion of their blue blood with the sedater 
demeanor of a humbler parentage. In the second place, good legs and 
feet are an essential. A young horse may be actually sound and may yet 
have what seem all the elements of unsoundness — dubious hocks, joints 



THE HUNTER. 141 

with a tendency to roundness, feet contracted or otherwise likely to go 
wrong. Thirdly, for the saddle horse good shoulders are indispensable. 
Without them the chances are that the horse will not step well and safely, 
and few things are more distressing to a rider than the sensation his mount 
gives him of an ability to stumble. In the fourth place come manners, and 
this consideration is influenced by the circumstance that what seem to 
be bad manners on the part of the horse may in reality be bad hands on the 
part of the rider. Nothing is more common than to see a horse that is rest- 
ive and troublesome, even dangerous, with one man, behaving in a most 
exemplary way when another rider gets into the saddle ; the hack that is 
placid and a model of obedience in the hands of No. i will decline to go 
quietly a dozen yards straight ahead in the hands of No. 2. Before any 
sort of opinion could be given as to the horse's manners in either case, it is 
obviously only just that No. 3 should be called into consultation." — A. E, 
T. VVatso7'i, " Riding,'" Badminton Library, pp. 57 and 58. 

THE HUNTER. 

If hunting is to be a pleasant diversion it is necessary 
that the rider should be " well mounted." Especially impor- 
tant is this point to the novice. A horse that is capable of 
"pounding" (leading) the field under the guidance of a 
clever rider may " come a cropper " (a fall) at the first fence 
if ridden by a tyro. Again a person may buy an animal 
that has " gone well " in a country where the jumping was 
of timber, but when used in a district in which stone walls 
abound, the horse may be almost worthless. A horse must 
have, besides the proper conformation for jumping, a knowl- 
edge of the character of the country, and the experience 
of schooling. A horse " takes off " for a stone wall, on 
either side of which there may be loose stones, differently 
than he would for a fence where the ground was clear on 
both sides ; the same difference exists in the method of 
" landing." 



142 THE HUNTER. 

In buying a hunter the novice should endeavor to obtain 
a horse that possesses the following desirable qualifications : 

1. A horse that has "gone well " over the country it is 

intended to hunt him in. 

2. A horse that jumps in " cold blood," i. e., does not 

require a lead or the presence of other horses. 

3. A horse that has pluck enough to keep the pace, but 

that is always sufficiently under the control of the 
rider for the latter to determine the direction or 
set the pace. 

4. A horse that is equal to carrying, without undue 

fatigue, the rider's weight, under the most try- 
ing conditions presented by the character of the 
country. 

5. A horse that " pops over " his jumps instead of " fly- 

ing " them ; the latter form is more enjoyable but 
is decidedly more dangerous. 

6. A horse that is old enough to withstand the severe 

nature of the work without injury to the ten- 
dons and bones, but not so old as to be in 
any way handicapped by the failings of old age. 
Between seven and nine years may be considered 
the hunter's prime. 

7. A horse that has considerable thoroughbred blood in 

his veins. A horse three-quarters bred has been 

found to make the best hunter. 
The tyro must bear in mind that in every hunting coun- 
try there are always "screws " for sale and that the members 
of the hunting fraternity are not so much more altruistic 
than other human beings that they will sell their best hunt- 
ers unless for some particular reason, such as a man giving 




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HUNTER CLASSES. 143 

up hunting or that he beHeves he knows of a horse that 
will carry him better, etc. In regard to the argument that 
a horse is not quite up to a certain country, but will in all 
likelihood go well in yours, a quotation in an article on 
horses in the " Encyclopaedia of Sport," p. 536 is here given: 

"'Do you call the Blackshire a difficult country? ' a young man is re- 
ported to have asked of a Nestor of the Chase. ' My friend,' was the reply, 
* all countries are difficult when the hounds really run.'" 

" The Druid," in " Post and Paddock," quotes a friend 
as saying : 

"Had I to choose a hunter by one point only, it should be his head ; 
for I never saw one with a small, clean, ititelUgent face and prominent eyes 
to be bad." 

HUNTER CLASSES. 

The qualification and scale of judging hunters established 
by the National Horse Show Association of America is as 
follows : 

" Horses, which have been shown at any place of exhibition for a fixed 
consideration or guarantee, shall not be eligible for entry at this show as 
Qualified or Green Hunters. They may, however, be entered where per- 
formances over fences only count. 

"All exhibitors entering their horses in the Qualified or Green Hunter 
classes, must furnish a certificate from the Master of the Hounds with whom 
their horses have been hunted. Forms of certificate will be furnished by 
this Association. 

" Only men or boys over fourteen years of age will be allowed to ride in 
the Hunter or Jumping classes. 

" N. B. — No horse having taken a first prize in the Hunter or Jumping 
classes at any of the Association's previous shows can be entered in the 
Hunter classes, but they may compete in the Corinthian, Jumping and 
Champion classes. 

" In all the Hunter and Jumping classes where the number of entries may 
make it desirable, the Association reserves to itself the right to order prelim- 



144 QUALIFIED HUNTERS— GREEN HUNTERS. 

inary trials at an hour, of which ample notice will be given in the pro- 
gramme. 

" All horses to win prizes in the classes for Qualified or Green Hunters 
must be pronounced practically sound by the Veterinaries of the Association, 
and must carry a minimum weight of 140 pounds. 

QUALIFIED HUNTERS. 

" Must have been kept for hunting purposes and have been regularly 
hunted with a recognized pack of hounds more than one year, and within 
one year of date of entry. A certificate to this effect must be furnished. 

" Qualified Hunters (Light Weight) up to carrying under 165 pounds to 
hounds. 

"Conformation and quality to count 50 per cent; performance over 
fences to count 50 per cent. 

"Qualified Hunters (^Middle Weight) up to carrying between 165 to igo 
pounds to hounds. Conformation and quality to count 50 per cent; per- 
formance over fences to count 50 per cent. 

"Qualified Hunters {Heavy Weight) up to carrying over 190 pounds to 
hounds. Conformation and quality to count 50 per cent ; performance over 
fences to count 50 per cent. 

GREEN HUNTERS. 

"Must not have been hunted except within one year of date of entry. 
Nor at any time before that year have been a first prize winner in classes for 
Hunters or Jumpers at any of this Association's shows. A certificate to this 
effect must be furnished. 

" Green Hunters (Light Weight) up to carrying under 165 pounds to 
hounds. Conformation and quality to count 50 per cent; performance 
over fences to count 50 per cent. 

"Green Hunters {Middle Weight) up to carrying between 165 to 190 
pounds to hounds. Conformation and quality to count 50 per cent ; per- 
formance over fences to count 50 per cent. 

"Green Hunters {Heavy Weight) up to carrying over 190 pounds to 
hounds. Conformation to count 50 per cent ; performance over fences to 
count 50 per cent." — Frotn the Catalogue 0/ the National Horse Show 
Association, i8g8. 

" It has been found by experience that the average weight of a horse 



THE POLO PONY. 145 

capable of carrying a heavy weight, when in fair hunting condition, exceeds 
1,150 lbs.; of middle weight, weighs between 1,050 lbs. and 1,150 lbs.; 
and light weight, weighs less than 1,050 lbs. 

" If a horse is entered in a class where, in the judges' opinion, he is 
up to more weight than the class calls for, he shall receive no consideration 
for his extra 'weight-carrying qualities.'" — From the Prize List of the 
Boston Horse Show, i8gg. 

THE POLO PONY. 

The height of a polo pony is usually not less than 
13.2. The rules of the Polo Association now nominally 
require that a pony should be under 14.2 ; and this height 
is seldom exceeded. Ponies are divided into three classes 
according to their weight-carrying ability and are known 
as light, middle and heavy weight ponies. A novice should 
study the characteristics of the ponies of the best players 
and note carefully in what respects they differ from the 
poorer ponies. In buying it is desirable to obtain ponies 
that are well trained ; those that are good in every respect 
except in the matter of speed are the best for a beginner, 
and such ponies may often be obtained from a good player 
who wishes to get faster ponies. A little discretion and hesi- 
tancy on the part of a buyer will often save him from pay- 
ing for his experience by the purchase of one or more ponies 
that are only fit to review the game on or to shake his con- 
stitution into a healthy state of activity. A good test of 
a pony is to put him through his " tricks " in company with 
a friend on a recognized first-class pony and to compare the 
way in which the two ponies acquit themselves. 

Captain Hayes, in " The Points of the Horse," p. 276, de- 
fines the qualifications of a polo pony as follows : 

" Handiness and speed, with sufficient staying and weight-carrying 
power, are the two chief requirements of the polo pony. Consequently, he 



146 THE POLO PONY. 

should be light in front, should carry his head and neck well, have sloping 
shoulders and particularly strong hocks ; the fact of his being slightly 
' goose rumped ' will be no detriment." 

A good polo pony is one that is fast, perfectly sound, of 
proper disposition, i. e., neither too hot-headed nor sluggish, 
and has, 

Short straight back. 

Strong rump, thighs and hocks. 

A deep and well-rounded body. 

Sloping shoulders and well " cut away " in front. 

A lean neck, small head and broad between the eyes. 

Strong flat legs and well-developed tendons. 

Level and smooth in gait. 

Trained to guide by the pressure of the reins on the 
sides of the neck. 

Trained to keep the pace set by the rider. 

Neither mallet nor ball shy. 

Willing to throw his weight against an adversary's pony 
in "riding off." 

Able to spring from a standstill into a gallop, to stop in 
a few strides and change his leading leg on mak- 
ing his turns. 

Regarding the breed of polo ponies, J. Moran Brown, in 
" Riding and Polo," p. 306, Badminton Library, says : 

" * Blood will tell,' is a common and very true saying and it is apparent 
that an animal bred expressly for racing must be endowed with the greatest 
speed. The pluck of a thoroughbred also enables him to go on until he 
drops. But here, I think, the advantages of the thoroughbred horses cease. 
They have not always the very best of tempers. Many of them cannot carry 
very great weights, and in this it must be understood that my remarks apply 
to thoroughbred ponies, animals which from their being undersized have 
never been thought worthy of being ' put through the mill ' in a racing 



SOURCES OF SUPPLY. 147 

stable. The thoroughbred pony does not seem to withstand the constant 
strain he has to undergo in twisting and turning during a game of polo ; his 
constitution is very often delicate, and his narrow formation in front and 
high withers prevent him from turning very sharply." 

SOURCES OF SUPPLY. 

The successful man of business realizes the importance 
of having a thorough knowledge of whatever he deals in, 
and his general want of confidence in human nature prompts 
him, when investing in something out of his line, to buy of 
a well-known and reliable firm. The writer advises the self- 
dependent novice in horse matters to take the same precau- 
tion. Though the original outlay may be more, in the end 
the purchaser has something of credit to show for his money 
instead of from one to six worthless cripples. It may be 
asked, how is the beginner to know where to find a good 
dealer } The answer is simple. Go to a well-known car- 
riage builder or one of the firm, not a salesman, or to any 
of the well known horse owners. Other channels of infor- 
mation are the advertising columns of the sporting period- 
icals and daily papers. As the former journals have the in- 
terest of lovers of the horse at heart any advertisement 
which is evidently of a questionable nature is usually de- 
clined ; whereas the proprietors of morning and evening 
papers too often shut their eyes to the character of the 
notices which are obviously intended to deceive the public, 
and it is in the columns of these papers that most of the 
crooked order of the fraternity set their bait. 

Sir George Stephen, as will be seen from the following 
quotation, is even more sceptical of advertisements than the 
writer : 

" Whenever you see a horse advertised for sale, avoid him as you would 



148 BREEDERS. 

a pestilence. If he is a ' sweet goer,' depend upon it you will be gently 
dropped into the sweetest kennel in St. Giles's ; if he is ' well suited for a 
charger,' he is sure to charge a haystack and a park of artillery with equal 
determination ; if ' he never shies or stumbles,' the chances are, three to one, 
that he is stone-blind, or cannot quit a walk ; the * best horse in England ' is 
to a certainty the worst in London ; when ' parted with for no fault ' it means 
that he is sold for a hundred ; if ' the reasons will be satisfactorily explained,' 
it may be taken for granted that the master has absconded, either for steal- 
ing him or robbing his creditors ; when ' built hke a castle ' he will move 
like a church steeple ; if ' equal to fifteen stone up to the fleetest hounds in 
England,' depend upon it he never saw the tail of a hound in his life ; if he 
is a ' beautiful stepper,' you will find that he has the action of a peacock ; if 
a * liberal trial is allowed,' be most especially careful ; a deposit of half the 
price, but three ti?nes his value, will assuredly be required as security for your 
return ; and finally, whenever you see that he is the property ' of a tradesman 
who wants to exchange for a horse of less value for his business,' of a 'gentle- 
man who has given up riding from ill health,' or ' because he is going abroad,' 
of ' a professional man whose avocations call him from town,' of ' a person of 
respectability who can be referred to,' you may safely swear that he belongs 
to a systematic chaunter, who will swindle you both out of horse and money, 
and involve you in all the trouble, cost and vexation of an Old Bailey prose- 
cution to boot." — " The Adventures of a Gentleman in Search of a Horse,'^ 
PP-32,33' 

Horses are sold in many ways by men whose varying 
conditions are only exceeded by the variety of the animals 
that pass through their hands. 

BREEDERS. 

The highest class and priced horses are obtained from 
well-known dealers and breeders. The former go from place 
to place during the off seasons of the year and buy what 
they consider likely animals which they school and dispose 
of to certain patrons or at private sales. If a buyer is going 
in for well bred or show animals and is willing to pay a 



INDIVIDUAL DEALERS. 149 

long figure he is safer in the hands of such dealers than in 
purchasing from other sources. These men are expert 
judges of horses of the fashionable stamp, and base their 
reputation and profit on fair dealing. The owners of large 
breeding establishments find that better prices are obtained 
by conducting their own private sales, and therefore send 
the inferior young or old horses to the auction rooms. The 
small breeders send consignments of the unsold stock to be 
disposed of at the weekly or bi-weekly sales in large cities. 

INDIVIDUAL DEALERS. 

Veterinary surgeons and livery-stable keepers often com- 
bine the part of commission agent with that of their respec- 
tive vocations, and they will buy and sell for a consideration. 
They usually act as middlemen between private buyers, but 
they not infrequently purchase a horse with the hope of 
turning a penny or have an animal forced upon them in pay- 
ment of a bad debt. " Cappers " are professional commis- 
sion agents whose chief interest is in their commission. 
Horses from private stables are frequently sold by the owner, 
or by his coachman who with some confrere act as middle- 
men between two masters. Horses thus offered for sale 
generally belong to one of the three following types : first 
are those which have gone wrong under the presiding ser- 
vant's mismanagement ; second, a few of the poorest of an 
overstocked stable which the owner wishes to reduce. These 
are the horses that are advertised under the head of " to be 
sold as the owner is going to Europe," " has no future use 
for them," and are to be looked at suspiciously, as these 
explanations are well known baits for the unwary who, feel- 
ing safe at last from the dreaded horse shark, buy blindly. 



150 HORSES AT AUCTION. 

Third, are those horses which a speculating coachman has 
bought cheap and holds at an advanced price. In some 
cases these horses are good and the prices are correspond- 
ingly high. It more often happens that the servant has 
made an injudicious purchase for which reason the price is 
temptingly low, or so high as to indicate the existence of 
perfection. 

HORSES AT AUCTION. 

In addition to these retail dealers, if the expression may 
be allowed, are the wholesale dealers who control the great 
marts in the large cities where bi- or tri-weekly sales by 
auction are held. The approximate charge is lo per cent 
to all owners whose horses have sold for under $ioo, and 8 
per cent on all sales of $ioo or over. One half of these per- 
centages are charged on the highest sums bid for horses not 
sold. The purchaser cannot be held for any sum beyond 
that bid. The commission and stable charges are paid by 
the person selling the horse. 

The objections to buying a horse at auction are many. 
No opportunity is given to obtain the true history of the 
animal or to fairly test him under the same conditions as 
those he will encounter in performing the work for which 
he is intended, and hence it is that road and stable tricks 
remain hidden until the horse becomes the purchaser's prop- 
erty. A horse brought out of a dark stable into the arti- 
ficially lighted salesroom is bewildered by the confusing 
mass of humanity that immediately surrounds him, handles 
and jabs him in the ribs, or disconcerts him with other 
roughly administered forms of examination. After one or 
two weak bids the horse is rushed a few rods up and down 



HORSES AT AUCTION. 151 

a soft tan runway by a man who judiciously allows no free- 
dom to the head, and the horse is further deprived of any 
chance or inclination to exhibit his natural qualities by the 
free use of the whip which is applied by the faithful lieuten- 
ants of the auctioneer who form a gantlet of efficient per- 
secutors. As a result bad horses show to an advantage and 
superior ones to a disadvantage. 

The apparently irrational course pursued in showing 
some horses in harness and others in hand usually has some 
very sound foundation in which the welfare of the prospec- 
tive buyer does not enter very largely. Harness improves 
the appearance of awkwardly made horses, and a horse shown 
in hand does not have an opportunity to demonstrate by 
kicking a wagon to pieces that, although " safe and kind for 
a lady to drive," the wear and tear incident to vehicles 
make him an undesirable possession. 

The common biography of all horses that find their way 
to auction sales is " six, coming seven, sound, kind, fit for 
any one to drive, and sold only because the owner has no 
further use for him." To the initiated these descriptive re- 
marks are merely precautionary measures against allowing 
any chance being lost of impressing an ingenuous onlooker. 
This recommendation is of such a general nature that if it 
is proved that it is undeserved, the buyer can obtain no 
satisfactory redress. The auctioneer transfers the blame to 
the former owner, who maintains that the guarantee was 
unauthorized, or he offers to exchange the subject of dispute 
for another horse which is either a higher priced animal, for 
which the buyer has to pay an additional sum, or else he is 
worse than the horse already bought ; more than likely he 
is both together. 



152 VALUES. 

The advice which the Earl of Onslow gives regarding 
bidders at auction covers the ground so thoroughly that it 
is here quoted in full : 

" Many purchasers are led away from the sum which they had deter- 
mined to give by the excitement of competition at an auction and think that 
after all, for a horse that has taken their fancy, five, ten and so on up to fifty 
guineas more than they had intended to give will not hurt them. This is 
the most mistaken course to pursue, for the price which a purchaser ulti- 
mately gives he might probably have all the advantages of a trial and more 
complete veterinary examination of a dealer's horse, while his fancied 
competitor, whom he thinks must, from his evident determination to have 
the animal, know that he is going to get good value for his money, will 
probably turn out to be a friend of the owner and is only bidding as a means 
of placing a high reserve price upon the animal. To buy at auction requires 
time and patience ; and to buy cheap, a man needs strength of mind when 
he sees a horse he has taken a fancy to going for prices higher than he had 
previously decided to pay." — " Driving,'' p. 62, Badminton Library. 

VALUES. 

In order to acquire a knowledge of values the novice will 
be compelled to spend some little time in attending sales and 
use much discrimination in drawing his conclusions. That 
different types of horses have their special value may be 
seen by the following: 

" Many horses that are kept for use are to be valued, and that nearly as 
closely as any other useful article. Cart horses can be valued to a great 
nicety by any man accustomed to the buying and selling them ; so can good, 
fair, useful, thirty or forty pound harness horses for other work ; even car- 
riage horses can be estimated when they are merely a fair, useful sort, worth, 
we will say, from a hundred and twenty to a hundred and fifty the pair ; 
beyond this their price is almost nominal, for what a pair of singularly beau- 
tiful well- matched horses, with extraordinary high, grand and fashionable 
action, would bring, depends on the purse, inclination or folly of the pur- 
chaser ; such a pair would be a little fortune to a man if the young and beau- 
tiful wife of a rich old man took a fancy to them ; the fortunate owner would 



^. 



BUYING. 153 

not only get a heavy addition to his purse, but the good will of the lady, by 
making the old gentleman evince to the world the fervor of his adoration, by 
the price he paid to gratify her whim." — ^^ The Pocket and Stud,'' pp. 1^2, lyj. 

" The fact is, the value of a hunter is nominal, but not often definable ; 
it is only to be defined in one way : if half a dozen known good riders to 
hounds would each give a hundred and fifty or any given price for the same 
horse, that price for the time being is his value ; but it in no way follows, 
because an owner may set a given price on his horse and may find a pur- 
chaser to give it, that such is his value ; the price set on him arose from 
his owner's estimation of the qualifications the animal possessed, and the 
price given was from the purchaser's estimation of them being the same as 
the owner's ; probably no other man would have given half the money — 
many would not perhaps ride the horse if they were paid for doing it." — 
''The Pocket and Stud," p. 171. 

" The last hint that I shall offer on this topic is to decide, in the first 
instance, the limit in price ; and having settled * the figure,' to allow no 
horse dealing oratory to change the determination. I may observe that a 
horse, which is feally good and exactly adapted to a man's purpose, is dear 
at no price ; but it by no means follows that because a high price is asked or 
even refused, that the horse is worth it." — Sir George Stephen, " The Adven- 
tures of a Gentleman in Search of a Horse,'' p. tj. 

BUYING. 

Horse buying to be successfully conducted must be lim- 
ited to those persons who have developed, by practical expe- 
rience, an instinctive appreciation of what constitutes a good 
horse and the right type for a special purpose. The neces- 
sary acquirements and gifts of a competent judge are, a 
thorough understanding of equine anatomy and maladies, 
together with clear judgment and trained hands and eyes ; 
for such knowledge a long and varied experience is abso- 
lutely essential. 

The average man is quite satisfied to devote his time to 
more intellectual and remunerative pursuits than it is con- 



154 BUYING. 

sidered the study and care of horses afford ; yet the same 
man feels competent to undertake a purchase without assist- 
ance when his needs or inclinations dictate that he shall have 
one or more horses. If the buyer has a long purse the ex- 
periment will neither be financially embarrassing nor devoid 
of interest. The chances are that he will gain much experi- 
ence which may or may not be of the useful order ; and his 
respect for a good judge of a horse will be amazingly increased. 

The advice of " don't buy a horse from a friend," if fol- 
lowed, will help to protect the amicable relations existing 
between men from temporary or lasting rupture. The 
causes which make sales and purchases hazardous to friend- 
ship are due to the uncertainty of the condition and the 
quality of the subject of the transaction (namely, the horse); 
and the human failing to take advantage of or to distrust 
upon the slightest provocation. 

Should the reader have some " horsy " friend whose 
judgment he is willing to recognize as superior to his own 
and who, by successful purchases in the past, commands suffi- 
cient confidence to have intrusted to him the entire matter of 
barter and purchase, let the novice say to such an acquaint- 
ance, " I am in need of a horse. Will you be kind enough to 
find one to meet my requirements and have him sent to the 
stable ? " Name the nature of the work for which the horse 
is intended, your preference in the matter of color and what 
price you can afford to pay. A commission of this kind is a 
compliment to an amateur expert and one which he will 
endeavor to merit by making as successful a purchase as 
lies within his power. A good judge of a horse finds the risk 
of acting as agent is less trying in proportion to the amount of 
"horsy" knowledge his friend possesses or lacks. It may be 



BUYING. 155 

said that a person who knows nothing whatsoever about a 
horse is the easiest to please, the one having a mere smatter- 
ing the hardest, and the man who has had some experience 
himself, and knows the innumerable difficulties that lie in the 
way of a successful purchase, the most appreciative. The 
last order of patron is thoroughly aware that perfection is not 
to be found, and is quite satisfied if the animal is sound and 
fairly well suited for his work. If a purchase proves unsatis- 
factory the new owner should realize that to err is human, 
and he ought to be thankful that, although the horse is a 
trifle slower or less highly strung than is desirable, he might 
have bought, had he made the purchase himself, an animal 
broken in wind, defective in sight or the possessor of more 
serious faults. 

Never abuse the kindness of a friend by asking him to 
go to one or more sale stables and select six or a dozen 
steeds, in order that you may come in a lordly way and ex- 
hibit your ignorance by some blundering criticism. A gen- 
tleman, no matter how vain he may be, is justly annoyed by 
being requested to do this " capper's " work of " spot 'em 
down " and " trot 'em out." If you, as a buyer, wish to in- 
fuse your personality into the selection, or, as it is vulgarly 
termed, " have a finger in the pie," go the rounds yourself or 
with your servant, and having picked out several likely ani- 
mals ask your amateur expert to pass judgment on your 
selection. The novice, through fear of making a mistake, 
frequently rejects horses right and left ; as a consequence the 
dealers grow vexed and become tired of trotting out " a 
herd " a day for inspection, your mentor is disgusted and 
made the subject of strong epithets from the stable hands 
and the " boss " for wasting their time and his own. 



156 BUYING. 

After having made an investment, if the new owner de- 
cides, for some reason or without reason, to part with his 
adviser's choice he ought not to add insult to injury by as- 
suming that it is the latter's duty to find a buyer or to effect 
an exchange as compensation for having failed in the at- 
tempt. It is more likely that his adviser would gain addi- 
tional disfavor by any further effort. 

In connection with the execution of a purchase by a 
friend the question often arises, " How can I express my ap- 
preciation of the trouble he has taken in my behalf .f* " The 
average gentleman expert is more than satisfied to have 
served you to your liking, but a note of thanks, accompanied 
by some small token of your gratitude, such as a walking 
stick, flask or cigar cutter, serves as a permanent tribute to 
his knowledge of horse flesh and one which he will prize 
for its significance rather than for its intrinsic value. 

It more often happens that a novice, instead of having a 
friend to aid him, is dependent upon his own or his coach- 
man's resources for buying one or more horses, and is forced 
to go through the trying ordeal of purchasing without hav- 
ing the slightest qualification for the task. Hence it is that 
among the motley crowd of buyers at sale stables there are 
always to be found representatives of the two opposite types 
of purchasers : first, the experienced and cautious buyer ; and 
second, the ignorant but self-satisfied wiseacre. The lat- 
ter is the natural victim of even honest dealers. Such men 
are but human, and if they have had the misfortune to get 
an inferior nag into their hands, they will take the first oppor- 
tunity of passing him off. If a buyer, by his manner, gives 
the dealer to understand that he is distrusted, that individ- 
ual is far more likely to " land the buyer " than he would if 



I 



BUYING. 157 

the purchaser acknowledged his ignorance and depended 
upon the dealer's judgment. Unless a man is a thorough 
knave, dependence makes him act more honestly than the 
assumption of knowledge which he realizes to be superficial. 
" It is as true in horse dealing as in any other trade, that constant and 
permanent success depends on character, as well for honesty as for judg- 
ment. A man may sell a bad horse to advantage, but he knows that, if 
chargeable with an intention to deceive, he is at once classed with the 
knaves of his profession ; and regular customers are driven away from his 
stables forever. Horses are rarely to be found at these places cheap, nor 
is it reasonable to expect it ; for all perishable commodities, and few de- 
serve the epithet more than cattle, are inevitably high priced. It is better, 
however, to give sixty or seventy guineas, in the first instance, for a good 
and tried horse, than to buy half a dozen at an average of half the money, 
with the certainty of losing at least forty per cent on the sale, exchange or 
return of five of them. The horses of such dealers are generally high 
priced ; and I have seen many among them which I would not buy at any 
price ; but still I should go with confidence to their stables." — "7%<? Adven- 
tures of a Gentleman in Search of a Horse,^' pp. 36, j/. 

To those who, through the deference usurped by stable 
servants or who are seized with qualms and misgivings as the 
climax of a purchase approaches, turn to their coachman 
with the mingled feelings of hope and relief that he will 
detect faults so far unobserved, or that the responsibility will 
rest on some one who can be unreservedly blamed, to the 
novice who finds himself in this predicament, a few words on 
the inadvisability of placing much, if any, confidence in the 
opinion of an ordinary coachman may be disheartening, but 
worthy of consideration. 

The proportion of absolutely honest and disinterested 
coachmen is so small that those who have their master's 
interests alone at heart are never met with by the average 
horse owner. In the barter of a horse the seller has from $5 



158 BUYING. 

to $ioo or even more for your servant if he has the power of 
determining the sale and exercises it to the dealer's advan- 
tasfe. This bribe or so-called commission is a well under- 
stood item in the deal, and if the coachman is honest and 
smart he will treat his employer fairly and get his commission 
to boot ; but if he is, as are most of his calling, of elastic 
morals, the tyro will buy many worthless " screws," on the 
sale of each of which the coachman will receive his " mite " 
and something besides from a quack whose services are after- 
wards sought to mend some incurable defect. 

Then again a purchaser may be led astray by the advice 
of an honest but ignorant servant who has accepted, without 
discrimination or thought, hearsay traditions with the result 
that his knowledge of horses is worthless. 

A coachman's opinion is infallible : an expert often errs. 
As a general thing, although coachmen profess to be judges 
of horses, they know little or nothing about proportion and 
other essential qualifications, and their opinions are usually 
formed by the more material considerations of the trans- 
actions than upon the actual merits of the horse. If all men 
were as good judges as they profess to be, their services 
would be worth double or triple what they command, and 
it is no injustice to say that their opinions pass muster owing 
to the ignorance of the inexperienced master rather than on 
the honest endorsement of educated owners and successful 
dealers. 

When a buyer can afford the time, he should go about 
the horse markets and learn what is the average current 
price for the class of horse he desires to buy. During such 
a tour the methods of practised purchasers may be observed 
as well as the follies committed by " green ones," and one 



SOME "BOxW'TS'' FOR BUYERS. 159 

may gain much useful and inexpensive experience before the 
fatal nod is given to the auctioneer and is acknowledged by 
the reply, " The horse is yours, sir." 

The average auction veterinarian is a disgrace to the 
profession he represents; and although it is absolutely essen- 
tial that the inexperienced buyer should obtain some expert 
opinion as to the age, state of health and soundness of the 
horse or horses under consideration, such an examination 
should be made by a capable and trustworthy veterinary 
surgeon. 

SOME " DOn'tS " FOR BUYERS. 

Don't buy for yourself unless it is impossible to obtain 
trustworthy counsel. 

Don't buy of a friend ; there is a saying " that a man will 
cheat a brother in horseflesh." 

Don't buy of an owner who refuses to have his horses 
examined by your veterinary surgeon. 

Don't buy a horse with any physical defects. Some 
slight additional breaking down may render the animal 
useless. 

Don't buy an unreasonably cheap horse, the chances are 
nine to ten that for some reason the price asked is more than 
he is worth. 

Don't buy a horse in haste to prevent that very vague 
somebody else from getting him. 

Don't look at a bad horse with the hope that he may 
have sufficient redeeming points to counterbalance his 
defects. ' 

Don't take a horse on trial when half the asking price, 
but twice his value, is required as security. 



IfiO 



SOME ''DON'TS'' FOR BUYERS. 



Don't buy a single horse in making up a pair in the 
hope of finding a mate for him. You will in all likelihood 
be able to find fifty pairs in the time required to obtain the 
second animal, any of which pairs can be had for less than 
the price paid for the horses bought separately. 

Don't pay more than the price you have fixed upon until 
you have satisfied yourself that it is impossible with that sum 
to buy the type of horse you want. 




CHAPTER VIII. 

HARNESS. 



QUALITY OF LEATHER, FURNITURE, FITTING, VARIOUS 
PARTS AND APPOINTMENTS. 

Harness to the horse is what a dress 
is to a woman — it may be elaborate to 
the extent of being shoddy, or on the 
other hand it may be simple, appro- 
priate, of good material and workman- 
ship. A refined woman chooses by in- 
stinct the latter form, and any elabora- 
tion introduced is made with care and 
judgment. The same principles apply 
to harness, and if it is thought that 
fancy metal and stitching are required 
to be "smart," let the above simile be 
again employed to prove the contrary. 
What is neater or "smarter" than the 
tailor-made costume ? And is not this 
"smartness" due to its very simplicity.'^ 
In sanctioning the elaboration of 
harness under certain conditions, the 
chances are that when it is attempted 
by a novice the result will be open to adverse criticism. 
For instance, although there is no serious objection to the use 
of fronts (or brow-bands) made of silk cord if the colors are 
subdued, yet to some owners red and yellow and similar com- 




162 THE QUALITY OF LEATHER. 

binations would not be considered "flashy," though admit- 
tedly not quite sombre. 

The distinctions that are made regarding the various 
types of harness are drawn from a careful study of those 
receiving the approval of the judges of the National Horse 
Show in New York City. 

THE QUALITY OF LEATHER. 

If all of the best harness firms dealt in none but articles 
of the highest grade, the tyro could feel assured that by 
going to such dealers he would be supplied with good ma- 
terial, but unfortunately competition and ignorance of pa- 
trons make it necessary for these dealers to keep goods of 
inferior quality ; and it is therefore advisable for a purchaser, 
if he desires the best, to learn what really constitutes good 
harness. The following condensed explanation of the prep- 
aration of hide for harness, and a few subsequent remarks 
on harness of different qualities and workmanship, are given 
to supply the little information that can be conveyed by 
description : 

Neat's pelts, /. e., the skins of heifers and steers, are the best material in 
the production of leather for harness. The skins are first soaked in water 
and then either placed in lime pits or hung up until the hair becomes loose 
and can be removed. The skins are next submitted to a series of oak bark 
baths of increasing strength, but the cheaper grades of leather are tanned 
with chemicals. When the leather is thoroughly tanned it is again soaked 
and then curried, i. e., shaved to make it of uniform thickness. The dirt 
stains have now to be removed by scouring before the skin can be treated 
with a dressing of tallow and oil which makes it soft and waterproof. The 
last process is that of dyeing the leather black or japanning to produce what 
is known as patent or enamelled leather. 

Good leather is expensive for reasons which will be at 



THE CHARACTER OF HARNESS. 163 

once apparent. In the first place the best leather is tanned 
with oak bark. This process is more costly and requires a 
year's time instead of the few weeks in which period the 
cheaper grades are chemically tanned. Large harness manu- 
facturers have experts who choose hides free from scars and 
rough grain, the strength of which has not been weakened 
by poor currying. The leather is cut as is best suited to the 
different parts of the harness. On the other hand, cheap 
harness is made from inferior skins. Small dealers are forced 
to use the hide to the best advantage for their own interest 
and at the sacrifice of that of the purchaser ; every scrap has 
to be consumed, which often results in the leather being cut 
across the grain, thereby reducing its strength by fifty per 
cent. It is impossible to determine the cjuality of leather 
except by feeling, and this can only be successfully accom- 
plished after much experience. 

" Good leather is defined by Fitzgerald of New York ' as being solid, 
but not hard ; mellow, but not soft' ; qualities that cannot be explained, but 
which can be detected instantly by any one who has the requisite experi- 
ence." — Phillipson, ^^ Harness,'' p. 77. 

THE CHARACTER OF HARNESS. 

If the reader is about to set up a turn-out of a distinctive 
type, and intends concentrating his or her efforts on a special 
equipage, the harness should be chosen with as much regard 
to its appropriateness and to what is considered appropriate 
by competent judges, as though the owner intended to com- 
pete in an appointment class at a horse show. Why } It is 
certainly advisable under any conditions to have what is 
right, and it is no more expensive at the outset. 

There are a great many more differences in details than 



164 THE FURNITURE. 

are recognized by the average owner, but if he interest him- 
self in such matters the influence of a buckle that is too 
large or too small and other such details on the symmetry 
of the harness soon become evident. The intending buyer 
of one or more sets of harness is advised to go to some 
dealer in first-class harness at whose establishment, even if 
he cannot afford to purchase, he will learn sufficient to guide 
him in making the best choice available elsewhere of less 
finished but more moderate priced goods. 

THE FURNITURE. 

The furniture, /. e., the metal mountings, buckles, etc., 
is usually brass or silver plated; but if the latter form is 
selected the purchaser should demand that the plating be 
heavy and that the material under it be of white metal. 
Nickel plated furniture is sometimes used, but it is open to 
the objection of the shabby appearance presented when the 
nickel wears off in parts, and the impossibility of remedy- 
ing the evil short of replating. Solid brass or silver plate 
over white metal will wear longer than the leather of the 
harness, and all parts will have the same surface, no matter 
how far the material is worn down. The hames, owing to 
the strength required, have to be made of wrought iron 
and consequently are plated. Metal trimmings should not 
be used on the nose-band, bearing-rein, drop-straps or on 
other parts for purely ornamental purposes. The kidney- 
link and kidney-link ring when used should be prefer- 
ably of steel, as there must be no question as to their 
strength. In appointment classes these parts of pair-horse 
harness are plated to match the other furniture, but this is 
purely a refinement to please the eye. 



THE FURNITURE — MONO GRAMS. 



165 




FIG. 51, 




All the mountings should be plain, i.e., neither twisted 
nor fluted, either of which forms is in bad taste. Which- 
ever type of buckle, square (see A, Fig. 51), or horseshoe 
(see B, Fig. 51), is used on one part of the harness should 
be used throughout. The single buckle (see B, Fig. 52) is 
generally used in preference to the bar or double buckle 
(see A, Fig. 52). 

" In the first place, then, I hold all and every sort of finery and frippery 
about horses to be the worst possible taste. I do not call the massive har- 
ness of the horses of the sovereign finery — that is a part of a gorgeous 
pageant befitting royalty on state occasions ; so are a state carriage, state 
harness, and state liveries, quite in character with a nobleman going to 
court ; but on ordinary occasions, nothing bespeaks bad taste more than 
finery, and particularly so in regard to horse equipments. Such should ever 
be in accordance with circumstances ; for instance, highly and heavily orna- 
mented harness, brass or plated, would be execrable taste if exhibited by a 
lady driving her phaeton, so would be black with a coachman wearing his 
wig." — Charles Brindley, ^^ Practical Horsemanship,^^ p. lOO. 



MONOGRAMS, ETC. 

Monograms, initial letters, crests or badges are only 
placed on the rosettes, face-piece and winkers of the bridle, 



166 THE COLOR. 

on the frog of the breast-plate or of the standing martin- 
gale, on the skirts of the saddle below the terrets, on the 
trace-bearers, and on the fillet-straps if used. Monograms 
should occupy a space of an inch and a half or less in diame- 
ter, and for a badge an inch is sufficient. By limiting the 
size to these dimensions they not only present a more 
modest and neater appearance, but are more economical, as 
a uniform size may be used for such parts of the harness as 
has been specified. 

The cost of a three-letter monogram is from $2 to $3.50. 
The cost of an initial letter monogram is from 50 cents to ^i. 
The cost of a badge applied to the harness is from $2 to $3.50. 
The cost for applying to harness varies from 25 cents to 50 cents. 

THE COLOR. 

The type of carriage the reader has bought or is about to 
buy should determine the character of the harness. If the ve- 
hicle is one limited to use in the city, the color of the leather 
must be black ; and, in fact, unless a carriage is a distinctly 
surburban or country conveyance, and the owner's preference 
strongly in favor of russet, the author's advice is to buy black 
harness. The argument in favor of this selection is that the 
future purchase of other vehicles is likely to occur, for which 
russet harness is inappropriate, or a change of residence to 
the city may cause the same objection to arise. Black harness, 
if properly made, is always appropriate for all forms of one or 
two horse carriages, whereas the use of russet is very lim- 
ited. If properly taken care of the latter requires as much 
care and labor as the former, and any injury, such as a scratch 
or a stain, etc., is less readily hidden. The carriages to 
which the author advises the use of russet harness to be con- 



i. 



THE STYLE, WEIGHT AND FITTING. 



167 



fined are, the run-about, lady's phaeton, buckboard, station 
wagon and two-wheeled vehicles of a simple character. 

THE LINING, STITCHING, KEEPERS, ETC. 

In all first-class harness the various parts should be 
double leather lined. 

The stitching should be free from scrolls or fancy designs. 
When the furniture is brass, yellow thread is sometimes em- 
ployed for the patent leather parts and white when the furni- 
ture is silver plated. The writer's preference is for black 
stitching, as it presents a neater appearance. 




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B 

FIG. 55. 

Keepers or loops are the small strips of leather which 
retain the points or ends of straps in place. Those which are 
sewed to the harness are either made in what are termed 
single loops (see B, Fig. 53) or in box loops (see A, Fig. 53). 
The former are preferable. Whichever design of stitching 
or keeper is used in one part should be used throughout. 
Metal loops should not be used. 

THE STYLE, WEIGHT AND FITTING. 

The style of the harness will be determined by the type 
of vehicle with which it is to be used, and the differences in 
this respect are described under the head of Brougham Har- 
ness, etc., on pp. 202-205. 



168 



THE FITTING, DIRECTIONS. 



" It is in connection with pair-horse harness for T-Cart, a Victoria, or 
other light carriage, especially if a lady is to drive, that the mistakes often 
begin. In harness of this description all that is required is sufficient strength 
combined with perfect simplicity and neatness." — ^^ Driving,'' Badminton, 
p. 98. 




FIG. 54. 
DIRECTIONS. 
Girth measure, around horse, C. Crupper measure, D to D. Bridle 
measure, from side of mouth to centre of head between ears ; net length 
around nose at B. This, with the height, weight and general stamp of horse, 
together with style of vehicle for which harness is intended, is all that is 
necessary. 



THE BRIDLE. 



169 



It is necessary to call attention to the fact that all parts 
of a harness should fit the horse perfectly so that there will 
be no friction or bulging and so that when in use the various 
parts will fulfil to a nicety all their requirements. There 
must be no long points or ends dangling from the loops, 
no shifting of the parts when once in place. 




A Crown-piece. 

B Bearing-rein drop-strap. 

C Bearing- rein droji. 

D Throat-latch. 

E Point strap for full bear- 
ing-rein. 

F Cheek-piece. 

G Winker-stay. 

H Face-piece. 

I Winker. 

J Nose-band. 

k Front. 



FIG. 55. 



THE BRIDLE. 



The Crown-Piece is about one and a half inches wide 
and twenty-four inches long, measured from the ends of the 
point strap. When used with a full bearing-rein it should 
have metal D's attached by narrow strips of leather called 
chapes and an additional point strap sewed to the under side 
between the point straps for the throat-latch and the cheek- 
piece. 

The Bearing-Rein Drop-Straps measure about six 
inches in length from the D on the crown-piece to the bearing- 
rein drop, and three-quarters of an inch wide. They are 
made preferably of a piece of leather, the point of which is 
passed through the eye of the bearing-rein drop, then through 
a loop on the strap near the drop, and another one farther 



170 THE BRIDLE. 

up, the point is then run through the D on the crown-piece 
from the under side and through the keeper near the drop. 
The point is fastened to the buckle end of the strap by a 
buckle and held in place by a keeper behind the buckle. 
When the straps are used for the drops of a plain bearing- 
rein they are made of single, short pieces of leather sewed 
to the throat-latch under the buckles of the latter and the 
drops are sewed into the other end of the strap. When the 
plain bearing-rein is used, or the bearing-rein is omitted, 
the straps and drops from the crown-piece should be removed. 

The Bearing-Rein Drops are metal loops which carry the 
bearing-rein. For use with the plain bearing-rein they are 
made either oval or balloon shaped and should be attached 
to the throat-latch and not to the straps from the crown- 
piece. When used with the full bearing-rein they are pref- 
erably balloon shaped and suspended from the crown-piece 
in single harness, and of a double ring pattern and sus- 
pended from the crown-piece in pair-horse harness. 

The Face- Piece consists of a pear-shaped piece of leather 
about two inches and a quarter long and an inch and a half 
wide. At the upper or smaller end it gradually narrows 
down to a strap, about three-quarters of an inch wide and 
passes through a loop on the under side of the front to the 
centre of the crown-piece, where it is held by a buckle and 
keeper. The full length of the face-piece from the point 
end to the bottom of the frog is about eleven and a half 
inches. 

The Front or Brow-Band measures about seventeen 
inches in length and one and a quarter inches in width. 
The front terminates in loops at both ends and has a loop 
on the under side in the centre which retains the face-piece 



FRONTS AND HOUSINGS. 



Ill 




FIG. 58. 




FIG. 59. 



172 



ROSETTES. 





FIG. 56. 



FIG. 57. 



THE BRIDLE. 173 

in place. Fronts or brow-bands, in consequence of being 
too short, often chafe the horses' ears. Fronts may be 
obtained that are made with a heavy rim of leather at the 
top and bottom, forming a groove into which the metal 
part may be laid, and the ends held by fiat hooks. When 
the front is attached to the rosettes, the metal part is firmly 
held in place. This form has the advantage of allowing 
the metal part to be cleaned separately, whereas when it is 
sewed on, as is customary, the " compo " and dirt become 
imbedded behind the metal. Fronts consist of a piece of 
leather, plain or in colors, but more generally of plain 
leather, over this is stretched a metal chain or band, or a set 
of links of the same metal as that of the other furniture. 
Enamelled fronts do not require so much time to clean, 
and if dark colored are in good form for all simple harness. 
Colored silk fronts, thousfh coming into voeue ao^ain, are 
objectionable: first, because they soon become soiled in clean- 
ing the leather parts ; and secondly, because they are on the 
showy order. Fronts, rosettes and housings should always 
correspond, and be of the same color as the carriage and 
livery. 

Rosettes (see Figs. 56 and 57) are made of metal, leather 
or ribbon. The metal ones are usually plain, flat disks, meas- 
uring about two inches and a half in diameter, and corre- 
sponding with the other furniture. They may be orna- 
mented with the monogram, initial letter or badge of the 
owner. When made of leather the rosette is usually con- 
ical in shape, measuring about three inches and a half at the 
base and ending off in a button. Sometimes loops of leather 
fall four or five inches from the base. They are composed 
of the same color or colors as are used for the fronts. Rib- 



174 



THE BRIDLE. 



bon rosettes are composed of interwoven ribbon in a con- 
ical form and have pendent bows of ribbon from three to 
five inches long. The material of which the fronts and ro- 
settes are made should always correspond. Colored rosettes 
should be chosen to harmonize with the body color of a 
carriage and with the livery, except when the latter is drab. 
If the color is of some brilliant shade, the color of the 
rosettes may be blended with a darker tone. All red pad- 
cloths would be rather glaring; under such circumstances it 
would be advisable that the brighter color should be subdued 
by the introduction of a more sombre hue, such as red and 
black alternated, etc. Although these housings are used 
with the panel-boot victoria, the writer 
considers that any turn-out is more re- 
fined by the omission of these articles. 

Flower Rosettes (see Fig. 60). 
Sprays of these are stuck through the 
back of the rosettes of the bridle and 
one is usually worn in the buttonhole 
of the coachman. They were at one 
time considered very smart, but their 
popularity with the drivers of public 
conveyances resulted in their being 
discarded by private owners, and they 
are rarely seen thus used. The writer 
is told, on good authority, that their 
popularity is being revived in London 
at the present time, but with the omis- 
sion of their use in the livery. 

The Cheek-Pieces are about eight 
FIG. 60. and a half inches long, measured from 






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THE BRIDLE. 175 

the top of the winker to the buckle at the lower end, and 
three-quarters of an inch wide. The buckles at the ends are 
of the single pattern, and back of each is placed two 
keepers, the upper set to receive the point-strap from 
the crown-piece, and the lower two to hold the point- 
strap of the cheek-piece after it has been passed through 
the eye of the bit and buckled. As the shape and size of 
horses' heads vary, the measurement for the length of the 
cheek-pieces should be taken. Although the cheek-pieces 
are adjustable, the proper fitting of this part of the harness 
enables the winkers and bit to be correctly placed, without 
producing the unsightly appearance of the point-straps ex- 
tending far beyond the end keepers, or of the latter being 
only half filled. The buckles which attach the cheek-pieces 
to the crown-piece should be above the top line of the wink- 
ers, so as to permit greater play and allow the winkers to 
adjust themselves comfortably to the eye bones. 

The Winkers measure about six and a half inches in 
length and five and a half inches in width. They are sewed 
to the cheek-pieces and supported by narrow strips of leather 
called winker-stays which are attached to the centre of the 
crown-piece under the face-piece by a buckle. These straps 
are about tv/elve inches long and five-eighths of an inch 
wide. 

The Throat-Latch is about twenty-one inches long and 
three-quarters of an inch wide. It should have buckles at 
both ends and two keepers behind each buckle to hold the 
ends of the point-straps of the crown-piece in place. The 
throat-latch should have bearing-rein drops attached when 
the plain bearing-rein is used, but none when the full bear- 
ing-rein is employed. 



176 THE BRIDLE. 

The Nose-Band measures in length about thirty inches 
from the buckle to the end of the point, and in width an 
inch and an eio:hth in front and half an inch under the chin. 
It should be preferably a plain piece of leather without any 
metal mounts. The nose-band should be attached in such 
a manner that it can be drawn taut around the nose. The 
nose-band is generally attached to the cheek-pieces for the 
purpose of holding it in place, but when thus made it is of 
no service in keeping the horse's mouth closed so that the 
bit can act effectively on a puller. The nose-band should 
pass freely between the points of the cheek-pieces, or loops 
on the cheek-pieces. Howlett, the well-known English whip, 
in his book, " Driving Lessons," p. 68, says : 

" Many people do not know the use of a nose-band. It is indispensa- 
ble for shutting the horse's mouth when you use the big high port bit. The 
nose-band should be short enough to be able, in case of need, to entirely 
shut the horse's mouth, which renders useless the strap generally used for 
that purpose. The place for the nose-band is just above the bit. Nearly 
all harness makers make their nose-bands too long, particularly in the buckle 
end under the jaw." 

The Bearing-Rein has always been a subject of much 
dispute, but under certain conditions it is necessary. For 
brougham, victoria and coach appointment classes, the full 
bearing-rein is called for. The bearing-rein for heavy car- 
riage horses is made in two forms, plain and full. The plain 
(see A, Fig. 6i) consists of a round piece of leather attached to 
the bit or bridoon with billets and passed through the bearing- 
rein drop and thence to the bearing-rein hook on the saddle 
or pad. About halfway between the bit and the saddle the 
bearing-rein is jointed with a metal loop. That part which 
passes through the bearing-rein drop is made of round leather, 



THE COLLAR. 



177 



while the other is flat and has a buckle by which its length 
is adjusted. Near the end is a leather loop for the purpose 
of tightening the bearing-rein against the bearing-rein hook. 
The full bearing-rein (see B, Fig. 6i) is similar to the plain, but 
differs from the latter in the round part being sufficiently 
longer to allow its being passed through the ring or pulley of 
the bridoon and attached with a buckle to a point of the crown- 
piece. The length of the plain bearing-rein is about forty-four 
.inches ; the diameter of the round section is about three- 





FIG. 6 I 



eighths of an inch, and that of the flat part three-quarters of 
an inch. The full bearing-rein measures about fifty-one 
inches, the length of the round section is about twenty-four 
inches, and the diameter is about three-eighths of an inch ; 
the width of the flat part is about three-quarters of an inch. 

THE COLLAR. 

The Hame Collar is of two designs. The type most 
commonly met with is Kay's pattern, in which the apex of 
the opening is V shaped and the bottom part is in the form 



178 



THE COLLAR. 




K 


Hame-strap. 


L 


Eye of hame. 


M 


Hame-terret. 


N 


Hame. 





Hame-draught 


P 


Hame- tug. 


Q 


Clip. 


R 


Trace-buckle. 


S 


Kidney Link. 


T 


Rim of collar. 



FIG. 62. 



of the letter U. As the outlines formed by this opening do 
not correspond with those of the horse's neck, it does not fit 
snugly, although it may bear evenly enough to wear without 
producing any ill effects. The other style is what is known 
as the pointed throat, or pipe collar. This is made after the 





FIG. 63. 
WELL SHAPED. 



FIG. 64. 
BADLY SHAPED. 



THE COLLAR. 



179 



natural lines of the horse's neck, and by extending the bot- 
tom part of the opening in a V shape, all risk of pressure on 
the windpipe is avoided. Hames made to fit these collars 
will not fit the Kay design. 




FIG. 65. 

The Shape of the hame collar is generally understood to 
define its outlines, which are limited to two, straight and 
shaped ; the former being the design used for road-coach 
harness or that of a sporting or semi-sporting nature, while the 
latter is characteristic of the more finished forms of brougham, 
victoria or other dressy types. The difference can be ob- 
served by viewing the collar from the side : the straight collar, 
it will be noticed, is made in an almost perpendicular line ; 
the shaped collar is curved in the shape of the middle section 
of a letter S. 

The Finish is usually of patent leather on the outside and 
black leather on the inside, but the inner lining is sometimes 



180 



THE COLLAR. 



of the natural color, neat's leather. In a distinctly sporting 
type of harness, such as a road-coach or a tandem set, the 
collar is sometimes basil faced, i. e., the brown lining of the 
inside is carried out over the rim of the collar and united 
under the hames with the black leather. When the collar is 
thus finished the saddle of the harness should be made to 
correspond. 

Straw (see Fig. 65) and Canvas Collars. Both of these 
forms of hame collars are falling into disuse. The straw 
collar has the merit, however, of adjusting itself nicely to 
the horse's neck, but is very perishable and becomes easily 
soiled. It may be used with russet harness for the sporting 
type of country vehicles. The white canvas-covered collar 
has no special advantages. Owing to its striking contrast 
with the color of the average horse, the harness and vehicle, 
it is decidedly on the flashy order. 

Breast Collars are made 
of two strips of leather : one, a 
rather broad and heavy piece 
carrying the trace buckles, 
passes around the chest of the 
horse; the other strap extends 
over the withers and buckles 
to the breast-piece which it 
supports. When the breast col- 
lar is used for double harness 
a rod serving" as a kidney-link 
is fastened on the front of the 
breast-piece, and is supported 
by leather stays extending from the sides of the bar to a 
point near the withers on the shoulder-piece. The breast- 




FIG. 66. 



THE COLLAR. 



181 



piece should be made so that it will fall just below the 
junction of the windpipe with the breast. 

In fittinor no time or care should 
be spared, as a badly fitting collar 
will be the source of constant an- 
noyance and possibly injury to the 
horse. If it is properly attended 
to, the shoulders will not become 
galled nor the breathing of the 
horse be obstructed ; but unless 
these precautions are taken the 
comfort and action of the horse in 
all likelihood will be interfered with 
to the extent of rendering his ser- 
vice unsatisfactory and uncertain. 

" Collars require the greatest attention 
and nicety in fitting, for they must not only fig. 67. 

fit well, but exactly; if too long, they are 

as bad as if they were too short, too wide, or too narrow ; in each case sore 
shoulders are certainties. It follows, therefore, that where more horses than 
one are kept, each should have its own collar which should be distinctly 
marked inside, so as to preclude the possibility of mistake." — ^^ Driving,'' 
Badminfo}2, p. gj. 

Regarding the fitting of the collar another authority says : 

"Placing the horse's head hi the position in which it is carried in har- 
ness, I take the collar in both hands and force it back on the shoulders, when, 
if it bears on all parts of the shoulders and there is room for inserting my 
fingers between it and the horse's windpipe, I regard it as a good fit." 

The art of properly fitting a collar is one which few, even 
of the good harness makers, seem to possess, and a half dozen 
or more collars should be tried before one is selected. In 




182 



THE HAMES. 



measuring for the length of the opening in the collar the end 
of the tape should be held at the point of the withers and 
carried down in a line with the slope of the shoulder to the 
windpipe : the average length of this line is about twenty- 
two inches. The width is usually determined by adding or 
deducting the number of inches that a sample collar is too 
wide or too narrow. In the event of a collar not being at 
hand, a pair of calipers may be made of stiff wire and the 
points stretched to each side of the neck. The distance 
between the points can then be taken. 




FIG. 68. 



THE HAMES. 

The Hames are bars made of forged iron and are plated 
either with silver or brass. They should have a smooth, 
oval surface. The hames are inserted in the groove of the 
collar and receive the tension of the draught in drawing the 



THE KIDNEY-LINK. 183 

vehicle ; and in pair-horse harness also the strain of stop- 
ping the carriage. At the upper ends are eyes for the re- 
ception of the leather hame-strap, which holds the hames 
tightly in place at the top after they have been adjusted. 
When the hames are in place the eyes should come within 
about three inches of each other. About two inches and a 
half below these eyes are welded the hame-terrets or rings 
through which the reins pass. The terrets may be either 
upright or jointed so as to lie flat against the collar. About 
fourteen inches below the hame-terrets the draughts which 
carry the hame-tug are welded on. 

The shape of the draught at the point where it joins the 
hames differs, and each shape is designated by a special 
name such as finger (A, Fig. 68), scroll (B, Fig. 68), anchor 
(C, Fig. 68), anchor ball and ring draught (D, Fig. 68), etc. 
For single harness the bottom ends of the hames are turned 
backward, forming hooks on which the hame-chain, which 
holds the hames together at the bottom, is fastened. In pair- 
horse harness the bottom ends of the hames are formed into 
eyes to receive the kidney-link. The bottom ends of the 
hames should come within about six inches of meeting. 

THE KIDNEY-LINK. 

Kidney-Links are of two 
forms, the open and the jointed. 
The former is that commonly 
employed and is made of one 
solid piece of steel, the ends of 
which do not meet; the lat- fig. 69. 

ter is made very much the same, but at one end there is 
hinged a short section which when closed down fits into a 




184 THE HAME-TUG. 

groove in the other end and fills up the opening. (See 
Fig. 69.) As originally made it was in one piece with the 
ends welded together after having been passed through the 
eyes of the hames. As this form did not permit the chang- 
ing of the link for a longer or shorter one, the hinged pat- 
tern was introduced. The closed or hinged kidney-link is 
the one generally used for pair-horse harness in appointment 
classes at horse shows, and is advocated for road-coach 
work because the billet of the breast-plate can be buckled 
around the inside of the collar and through the kidney-link, 
thus securing the two together. 

The Hame-Tug consists of a heavy piece of leather, 
carrying the trace-buckle and loops, which is attached to the 
hames by a piece of iron shaped somewhat like a hasp. The 
metal is rounded at the point where it is bent over and 
forms an eye which fits into the draft eye of the hames. 
The clips are usually placed over the outside piece of leather 
in front and under the leather at the back. They are held 
in place by rivets, the heads of which are either exposed or 
covered by the leather. When the clips or rivets are placed 
on the outside they should be plated to match the other fur- 
niture. The clip on the hame-tug of single harness is about 
three inches long, half an inch wide and is fastened with 
two rivets. For pair-horse harness the clip is about four 
inches and a half long, half an inch wide and fastened with 
three rivets. The leather part of the hame-tug carries the 
trace-buckle and the keepers which retain the point of the 
trace in place. For single harness there are three keepers 
and for pair-horse harness there are four. Under the hame- 
tug there is a leather guard extending a quarter of an inch 
beyond the three sides of the buckle, and under the buckle 




o -■ 



2 2- 



THE SADDLE. 185 

a hole is cut to admit the trace. In single harness the 
hame-tug is made about one foot long from the end of the 
trace-buckle to the end of the eye of the clip, so that the 
trace-buckles fall short of the saddle. In pair-horse harness 
the hame-tug is made according to the size of the horse. 
About nineteen inches is the average length. The trace- 
buckle is attached to the saddle by means of a tug-strap 
which should lie squarely in line with the centre of the 
saddle. As the length of the hame-tug cannot be adjusted, 
it follows that any miscalculation must be counteracted by 
changing the position of the saddle, which is wrong in 
principle. 

The trace-buckle in pair-horse harness is usually made 
with a crescent shaped metal loop on the upper and under 
side. To the top loop the buckle end of the tug-strap is 
sewed, and to the bottom one is attached the point-strap, 
which fastens into the buckle of the trace-girth. For road- 
coach harness the metal loops of the trace-buckle are dis- 
pensed with and the tug-straps are looped around the sides 
of the buckles instead of being sewed in. This latter form 
is called the Newmarket tug. 

THE SADDLE. 

The Saddle or Pad (see Fig. 70) should be fitted to the 
horse's back. This is of especial importance when the saddle 
is for a "two-wheeler." The pad-girth should be so propor- 
tioned that the point of the strap will not be left dangling or 
the loops remain all or partly empty when the saddle is in place 
on the horse. The outlines should be preferably straight, 
not curved, and the surface free from any fancy designs in 
stitching. The flap and skirt of the saddle are generally 



186 



THE SADDLE. 





FIG. 70. 



A 


Bearing-rein post. 


A 


B 


Pad-terret. 


B 


C 


Crupper-strap loop. 


C 


D 


Skirt. 


D 


E 


Tug-strap. 


E 


F 


Pad. 


F 


G 


Tug. 


G 


H 


Tug-girth. 


H 

I 



FIG. 71. 

Bearing-rein hook. 
Loop of tug- point strap. 
Crupper-strap loop. 
Point of tug-strap. 
Buckle end of tug-strap. 
Loop of trace-buckle. 
Point of trace-girth. 
Point of pad-girth. 
Buckle end of pad-girth. 



covered with patent leather. The inner side should be lined 
with black leather (unless the harness is russet), which, though 
it may feel hard, will cause fewer sore backs than flannel or 
felt. These materials when hardened with dried sweat cut like 
a knife. At one side of the saddle the end of the pad-girth 



THE SADDLE FOR SINGLE HARNESS. 187 

is sewed between the flaps and the Hning. On the other 
side of the saddle a point-strap is similarly attached and 
fastened into the buckle of the pad-girth. 

In the centre of the pad a bearing-rein hook or post 
is bolted. A few inches from this on both sides the pad- 
terrets are screwed into plates inserted in the tree of the 
saddle, and consequently can be unscrewed whenever desired. 
At the back of the pad, in the centre, there is a D for at- 
taching the crupper-strap. This D may be of the same metal 
as the other mounts, or black enamelled or covered with 
leather. 

THE SADDLE FOR SINGLE HARNESS. 

The Saddle of a brougham harness is about six inches 
wide, for a victoria a heavy saddle is five inches, and a light 
one three inches wide. A tug-strap is sewed under the 
skirt of the pad when intended for use with a four-wheeled 
vehicle. The ends of the strap pass through the buckle 
and keepers of the tug and are joined together by a tug- 
girth. In brougham or victoria harness the French tug is 
used and a metal loop is fastened to the lower part of the 
flap, for the purpose of holding the shafts snugly against 
the saddle. When the saddle is intended for use with a two- 
wheeled vehicle the tug-strap* should be in one piece and 
pass freely through a groove made in the tree of the saddle. 
The pad-girth should be a flat, broad strap, with a swell 
near the end, about six inches wide and provided with a 
leather loop by which the tug-girth is held in place. Unless 
the tug-strap can play freely through the opening in the 

* a back-strap is the name usually applied to this part of a harness, but the writer 
prefers to use the above term as he believes it is more significant. 



188 THE SADDLE FOR PAIR-HORSE HARNESS, ETC. 

tree, any unevenness will be felt uncomfortably by the occu- 
pants of the cart. It is customary for the skirt of a single 
victoria saddle or one for a similar vehicle to be fastened 
to the pad by a single rivet on each side near the end, the 
heads of which are left exposed. 

THE SADDLE FOR PAIR-HORSE HARNESS. 

Pads for pair-horse harness (see Fig. 71), besides being 
much lighter in build than the saddle for single harness, 
are made with a narrower and longer skirt. The pad is 
about three inches wide and twenty-one inches long. The 
skirt is about nine inches long. Two rivet heads are left 
exposed near the ends on each side. On the flaps at either 
side just below the skirts metal loops are attached. Into 
these loops the point-straps of the tugs are sewed. These 
loops are either crescent shaped, or oval and hinged, in 
order to give the play which is required by the tug-straps. 

THE HOUSINGS. 

Housings or Pad- Housings, S addle-Cloths or Saddle- 
Leathers, as they are termed according to their various 
forms, are made of leather or cloth and are placed under 
the saddle, the general outline of which they follow, but 
beyond which they extend on the sides. They are made with 
colored leather, silk cord, or metal chain borders. When- 
ever housings are used the trimming of the border should 
match the front or brow-band. The use of housings and 
silk fronts is only considered appropriate for use with a 
panel-boot victoria. Housings are not included with the 
harness but are sold separately. They cost, with the fronts 
and rosettes, about $25 per pair. 



THE CRUPPER-STRAP AND CRUPPER. 189 

THE CRUPPER-STRAP. 

The Crupper-Strap measures from the buckle to the 
saddle about seventeen inches. The length of the crup- 
per-strap to the saddle is about forty-three inches. The 
width is about one and one-sixteenth inches. One end of 
this strap is sewed to the top part of the flat portion of the 
crupper and the other is carried through the D in the back 
of the saddle from the under side ; thence through a keeper 
near the saddle and through one in front of the buckle, and 
the point being secured, the end is held in place by three 
keepers about two and a half inches apart. On some har- 
ness the keeper near the saddle is snugly held in place 
against the pad by means of a strap sewed to the under side 
of the keeper and passed through the D and inserted in the 
buckle attached to the top part of the keeper. 



FIG, 72. 

the crupper. 
The Crupper is a piece of leather which at the point of 
passing under the horse's tail is rounded and heavily stuffed 
to prevent chafing. It measures about six inches in circum- 
ference in the thickest part. The two ends diminish in thick- 
ness as they are carried up over the back forming a V, 
measuring from the inside of the rounded part to the end 
of the split about thirteen inches. The flat portion extends 
under the crupper-strap to a point in front of the buckle. 
The crupper should be made of one piece of leather, and 
preferably have no buckles. 



190 



THE BREECHING. 




FIG. 73. 



THE BREECHING. 



The Breeching is used chiefly for heavy single-horse ve- 
hicles. It is composed of two parts : first, the hip-straps which 
support the seat of the breeching; second, the breeching-seat. 
The former is about forty-seven inches in length. The 
width where it splits should be, preferably, too narrow to 
admit of placing a monogram, crest, etc., upon it. The ends 
of the hip-strap terminate in points which fit into the buckles 
attached to tug-straps on the breeching-seat. These tug- 
straps are about six inches long. The breeching-seat is 
made of heavy lined leather and measures about forty inches 
in length and one and three-quarters inches in width. At 



I 



THE KICKING-STRAP AND TRACES. 191 

the extremities rings are sewed, and in these rings are placed 
the breeching-straps which connect the breeching-seat with 
the shafts. The breeching-seat varies somewhat in construc- 
tion ; its shape is defined as plain (see A, Fig. ^-^^ square- 
seat (see B, Fig. 73), and buckle-seat (see C, Fig. ^i). The 
latter form is made by inserting a buckle between the points 
of the hip-strap and a point sewed into the ring, which takes 
the foremost hip-strap point. By this device the breeching- 
seat may be adjusted when the horse is in harness, without 
disturbing the breeching-straps on the shafts. The breech- 
ing-strap is attached to the breeching-seat by the point 
being passed through the ring at the end of the seat and 
then through a keeper on the back. The breeching-strap 
is about thirty-eight inches long and one inch wide. 

THE KICKING-STRAP. 

The Kicking-Strap is used on all light four and most 
two wheeled vehicle harness. It consists of a broad leather 
strap about an inch and three-quarters wide which is passed 
between the loops of the crupper-strap and the ends fastened 
in loops with buckles. These loops are passed around the 
shaft and there held in place by metal keepers attached to 
the sides of the shaft. The use of the kicking-strap is con- 
fined to harness of a sporting or semi-sporting character. 

THE TRACES. 

Traces for single harness are about seventy-two inches 
long and one inch and a half wide. For pair-horse harness 
the length is about eighty inches and the width one and a 
quarter inches. The traces are made of several plies of heavy 
leather firmly sewed together in rows of one or more lines of 



192 



THE TRACES. 




FIG. 74. 

stitching. The points contain a number of holes punched in 
the centre by the means of which the length of the trace is 
adjusted in the buckle on the hame-tug. The other end of 
the trace is finished square or round in single harness 
vehicles and has a slit through which the end of the whiffle- 
tree is thrust. For fastening the traces on the roller bolts 
in pair-horse vehicles a metal loop is attached to the end. 
With a view to giving this part a more finished appearance 
when in place, a short piece of leather, the width of the trace 
and about two inches long, is sewed to the other side of the 
loop. Separate trace-loops may be had (see Fig. 74) by 
means of which an ordinary trace-end may be converted into 



« 



THE TRACE-BEARERS. 193 

a loop. These are very convenient, but are not considered 
as neat as those to which the trace-end is sewed. 




FIG. 75. 



THE TRACE-BEARERS. 



Trace-Bearers or Loix-Straps (see Fig. 75) are straps ex- 
tending through the loops of the crupper-strap and terminat- 
ing in one or two frogs joined together, each large enough 
to receive a monogram, badge or crest. The strap which 
passes through the crupper-strap is attached to one or two 
frogs. If two frogs are used a point-strap is fastened at the 
bottom to the upper frog and fits into a buckle on the top 
of the second frog, which has on the inside a leather loop 
by which the trace is carried. When only one frog is used 
the strap is passed through a D in the top of the frog and 
attached to a buckle which runs on the upper part of the 
same strap. The lower frog is omitted on the inside of the 
trace-bearers of pair-horse brougham and similar harness. 



194 THE BREAST-PLATE AND MARTINGALE. 

THE FILLET-STRAP. 

Fillet-Straps are diminutive loin-straps and are used in 
the same manner, except placed nearer the saddle. Their 
use is not desirable. 

THE BREAST-PLATE. 

Breast-Plates (see B, Fig. 76) are narrow strips of leather 
with a loop at one end, made adjustable by a buckle, and held 
in place by the pad-girth, but not the trace-girth. The other 
end is sewed to the back of a frog, on the face of which a 
monogram, etc., may be placed. The top of the frog is 
attached by a metal D to a strap with a long billet which 
enables it to be fastened into the kidney-link or around the 
collar if occasion requires. In appointment classes the 
billet should be fastened around the inside of the jointed 
kidney-link against the collar. The breast-plate should be 
made short enough to hold the bottom of the collar in place, 
and used only with pole-pieces or pole-chains, as it is intended 
to hold the collar in place when acted upon by the forward 
pressure of the pole. 




THE MARTINGALE. 

The Martingale (see A, Fig. 76), as applied to harness, is 
always the standing pattern, except for road-horse harness. 
It is similar in all respects to the breast-plate, except that 



THE REINS AND COUPLING-RING. 195 

instead of terminating at the collar, it extends to the under 
part of the nose-band or to the bit to which it is buckled or 
fastened with a snap hook. The martingale should be made 
a little longer than is required for the horse to carry his 
head in a natural position. The loop should be held by the 
pad-girth and not by the tug-girth. A horse should be made 
accustomed to the restriction of a martingale before being 
driven with one. Some horses, when they first feel the re- 
straint, rear and fall backward. 

THE REINS. 

Reins should be made of flat brown leather of about the 
same width throughout ; black or those with white hand-pieces 
should not be used. At one end the reins should have 
billets of leather by which the reins are attached to the 
bit and at the other a buckle and point so that they can be 
joined. The billets should not be stiffened with iron. In 
front of the billet buckles there are often placed keepers. 
The width of reins vary between seven-eighths of an inch and 
an inch and an eighth. For pair-horse harness each rein is 
made in two parts: one, the draught-rein, being a continuous 
piece of leather from end to end ; the other, a shorter piece, 
called a coupling-rein, is buckled under the draught-rein. 

The buckle which allows the reins to be adjusted "should 
come to within eighteen inches of the hand when the horses 
are going." " Driving," Badminton, p. 98. 

THE COUPLING-RING. 

The Coupling-Ring is about two inches and three- 
quarters in diameter. It is made either of ivory or white 
celluloid. At one time its use was general on all pair-horse 



196 THE POLE-PIECES. 

coupling-reins, but it is now confined to such harness as is 
used with a neck-yoke. 

THE POLE-PIECES. 

Pole-Pieces are leather straps with a buckle matching in 
shape and metal those on the harness. An inch or so in 
front of the buckle a keeper is sewed to the upper side and 
another is similarly placed about four inches lower down. 
On the reverse side two other keepers are placed just below 
the upper ones. The keepers should be of leather, not metal. 
In the point end holes are made to take the tongue of the 
buckle. The pole-piece should be of the same color leather 
as the harness and just long enough to enable the point to 
be passed through the eye of the pole-head or crab, and 
thence through the kidney-link ring and be buckled, to fill 
all the keepers, but not extend beyond the end of the pole. 
Pole-pieces "should be of the best tanned, soundest leather 
and be kept perfectly clean, soft and dry, otherwise they will 
soon become rotten and dangerous." (" Driving," Badmin- 
ton, p. TOO.) That they should be used instead of pole-chains 
on all pair-horse harness when the coachman drives is 
agreed by all authorities, but there is a difference of opinion 
as to their use when an owner drives. Major Dixon and 
others, in the volume on " Driving " in the Badminton Li- 
brary, p. loo, advocate the use of the pole-pieces instead of 
chains on all pair-horse vehicles except the mail-phaeton : 
" Pole-pieces are in most frequent use in pair-horse car- 
riages, except the mail-phaetons, of all descriptions." The 
writer believes, for personal use, the owner is justified in 
exercising his own preference. Pole-pieces are sold sepa- 
rately from the harness, but are included in the purchase of 
a pair-horse vehicle. They cost about $\2 per pair. 



THE NECK-YOKE STRAPS AND POLE-CHAINS. 197 
THE NECK-YOKE STRAPS. 

Neck- Yoke Straps are similar in every respect, except in 
length, to pole-pieces. As the ends of the neck-yoke, to which 
the straps are fastened, are nearer the throats of the collars 
than is the end of the pole, the neck-yoke straps are shorter. 




FIG. 77. 

POLE- CHAINS. 



THE POLE-CHAINS. 

Pole-Chains are of two kinds: one for use on pair-horse 
carriages driven by the owner or on a park coach, the other 
for use in road-coach work. The links of the chains for 
both non-sporting and sporting vehicles should be single, 



198 THE POLE-CHAINS. 

oval steel links, sometimes called the cable pattern (see A, 
F^g- n)' These are the simplest, neatest, and of the most 
practical form of construction. Twisted or double chains 
(see B, Figure ']']'), with the links lying in folds, like those 
of curb-chains, should never be used. The pole-chains of 
road coaches should be black, if the pole head is corre- 
spondingly treated. Pole-chains should never be used on a 
vehicle driven by a servant. 

The Hooks are of three types, the single snap, the double 
snap and the open hook. The single snap hook is the one 
generally used for chains of non-sporting vehicles. Some 
writers have claimed that the double snap hook should 
never be employed, as it is conducive to the dangling of two 
or three links, which results in " the clanking pole-chains." 
This argument alone is hardly sufficient to justify the 
debarring of double snap hooks. The fault is not in the 
hook, but in the servant. The writer's opinion is that " they 
should not be employed " ought to be applied to ignorant 
coachmen rather than to the double snap hook. This hook 
has several important advantages, not possessed by the single 
snap, namely, in case of an emergency it can be released 
from two points, and being detachable from the links it may 
be more readily replaced in the event of its breaking; and 
for the same reason it is easier for the servant to clean. The 
hooks for road-coach pole-chains are not jointed but made in 
one piece and open. Over the point a heavy rubber band is 
placed to retain the link in the hook. Hooks and links 
should correspond in material and color with each other and 
with the pole head. 

The rules of the New York Coaching Club regarding the 
use of pole-chains on private coaches and road coaches are thus 



SLEIGH BELLS. 



199 




FIG. 78. 



200 



FUR HOUSINGS. 



^r^'-"', 




'^/'J^r^^'^iffi'l^f •'-^/^^'^ 



^^<»f^^^ "•'T^ 



Fin. 79. 





FIG. 80. 



SLEIGH BELLS, FUR FRONTS, ETC. 



201 



defined: For park harness "pole-chains should be bur- 
nished and have spring hooks; " for road harness " pole-chains 
should be burnished or black, hooks should have india rubber 
rings, not spring hooks." 

Pole-chains are sold separately from the harness and for 
pair-horse harness cost about ^12 per pair. Those for a 
coach cost about $15 per pair. 

SLEIGH BELLS, FUR FRONTS, HOUSING AND PLUMES. 

Of recent years the girdle of bells for the horse has been 
largely superseded by shaft and pad bells. For heavy single 
and pair-horse harness a set of bells (see p. 199) is attached 
to the pad by screwing the pad-terrets through the eyes 





FIG. 81, 



FIG. 82. 



202 APPOINTMENTS FOR SINGLE BROUGHAM. 

made in the ends of the braces supporting the bells. The 
knobs on top of the bells unscrew and in their place red, 
yellow, green, etc., horsehair sprays may be used. 

Fur fronts and fur housings add very much to the wintry 
effect of a well " turned out" sleigh. They should not be 
used in connection with carriages. The dark colored furs 
are preferable. (See p. 200.) 

Plumes (see Fig. 81), as distinct from sprays (see Fig. 82), 
are better left to the circus and van horse caparisons. They 
exaggerate an effect which when produced in moderation is 
to be desired. 

For description of bits see Chapter X. 

APPOINTMENTS. 

The details to which reference is given below are those 
which characterized the harness of the winning entry at the 
National Horse Show, or are observed by well known horse 
owners, and therefore represent what is generally accepted 
as being appropriate. 

FOR SINGLE BROUGHAM. 

Leather, black, double lined. 

Stitching, black, double. 

Furniture, brass throughout. 

Buckles, square with slightly rounded corners, and single 

throughout. 
Keepers, single throughout. 
Front, single link, or as shown in Plate. 
Winkers, square with slightly rounded corners. 
Bearing-rein drop-strap attached to crown-piece. 
Bearing-rein drop balloon or double ring. 
Bearing-rein, full. 
Bit, Buxton with pulley-bridoon. 




BROUGHAM HARNESS OF THE WINNING ENTRY AT THE 
NATIONAL HORSE SHOW. 



APPOINTMENTS FOR PAIR-HORSE BROUGHAM, ETC. 203 

Collar, shaped patent leather, black lining. 

Hames, anchor draft of same metal throughout as other 

furniture. 
Hame-terrets, jointed. 

Hame-tug, neither clip nor rivet heads exposed. 
Hame-chain and ring plated to match other furniture. 
Martingale, standing, loop held by pad-girth (and not 

by the tug-girth which is attached to tug-strap). 
Saddle, straight flaps, gradually diminishing in width. 
Bearing-rein hook, not post. 
Housings, none. 
Tugs, French pattern. 
Tug-girth passes through loop on pad-girth and is buckled 

on both sides to tug-strap. 
Crupper-strap, strap and buckle on keeper near saddle. 
Crupper, no buckles. 
Breeching, buckle-seat or plain. 
Reins, brown leather, keepers on point-straps of billets, 

buckle of hand-piece on near rein. 
Monogram, badge or crest on face-piece, rosettes, winkers, 

frog of martingale, both sides of saddle, nowhere 

else. 

FOR PAIR-HORSE BROUGHAM OR VICTORIA. 

Leather, black and double lined. 

Stitchino;, double and black throuo^hout. 

Furniture, brass throughout. 

Buckles, square, slightly rounded corners and single 

throughout. 
Fronts, single link, or as shown in Plate. 
Winkers, square with slightly rounded corners. 



204 APPOINTMENTS FOR PAIR-HORSE BROUGHAM, ETC. 

Bearing-rein, drop-strap attached to crown-piece. 

Bearing-rein drop, double ring pattern. 

Bearing-rein, full. 

Bits, Buxton with pulley-bridoon. 

Coupling-ring, none. 

Collar, shaped patent leather and very light for victoria. 

Hames, anchor draft, of same metal throughout as other 
furniture. 

Hame-straps fastened with points toward the pole. 

Hame-tug, only three rivet heads exposed, clip covered. 

Hame-tug buckle, with top and bottom crescent shaped 
loops for tug and guide straps, which are sewed, 
not buckled, into the loops. 

Kidney-link jointed, not open, link and ring plated to 
match other parts of furniture. 

Pole-pieces, buckles leather covered. 

Breast-plate, loop around pad-girth (but not around trace- 
girth), billet buckled around inner side of kidney- 
link against collar. 

Saddle, straight edge, two rivet heads showing at end of 
skirt on each side. 

Tug-straps sewed into crescent shaped metal loops or 
jointed oval ones. 

Housings, none, except for panel-boot victoria. 

Crupper-straps, strap and buckle on keeper near saddle. 

Trace-bearers, double frogs, lower one omitted on inside. 

Trace-ends, square metal loop sewed on (loop with leather 
flap). 

Reins, brown leather, keepers in front of billet buckles, 
coupling buckle coming within eighteen inches of 
hands, buckle of hand-piece on near rein. 




PAIR-HORSE VICTORIA HARNESS OF WINNING ENTRY AT THE 
NATIONAL HORSE SHOW. 



APPOINTMENTS FOR SINGLE RUN-ABOUT. 205 

Monogram, badge or crest on face-piece, outside rosette 
of each bridle, winkers, frog of martingale, both 
sides of saddle pad, both outside frogs of trace- 
bearers, the inside frog. 

FOR SINGLE RUN-ABOUT. 

Leather, black, lined. 

Stitching, double throughout, black. 

Furniture, brass or silver, but preferably brass when a 
breast collar is used. 

Buckles, single, if brass, horseshoe ; if silver, square with 
slightly rounded corners. 

Keepers, single throughout. 

Front, sinole link, or as shown in Plate. 

Winkers, square with slightly rounded corners. 

Bearing-rein drop, oval, attached to throat-latch. 

Bearing-rein, single. 

Bit, Elbow, or Liverpool, or double ringed snaffle with 
breast collar. 

Collar, shaped or breast. 

Hames, finger or anchor draft. 

Hame-tug, rivet heads and clip exposed. 

Hame-chain and ring, same metal as other furniture, or 
of steel. 

Martingale, none. 

Saddle, similar in shape to that for single brougham but 
much lighter. 

Tugs, English, held in place by stops on shafts. 

Kicking-strap or breeching. 

Monogram badge or crest on face-piece, rosettes, wink- 
ers, nowhere else. 



206 APPOINTMENTS FOR SINGLE WAGONS AND CARTS. 

FOR SINGLE STATION WAGON OR SIMILAR FOUR-WHEELED 

VEHICLE. 

Leather, double or single. 

Stitching, double if leather is lined. 

Furniture, brass or silver. 

Buckles, square with slightly rounded corners. 

Collar, straight or shaped. 

Breast-plate, none. 

Martingale, none. 

Breeching, plain seat. 

FOR GIG OR OTHER TWO-WHEELED CARTS. 

Leather, black, double lined. 

Stitching, black, double. 

Furniture, brass (preferably) or silver. 

Buckles, single, horseshoe (preferably) or square. 

Keepers, single throughout. 

Front, single link. 

Winkers, square with rounded corners. 

Bearing-rein drop-strap for gig, otherwise depending upon 

type of vehicle. 
Bearing-rein, full for gig, otherwise depending upon type 

of vehicle. 
Bit, Gig with puUey-bridoon for gig, or Elbow, depending 

upon type of vehicle. 
Collar, shaped. 
Hames, anchor draft. 
Hame-tug, rivet heads and clip exposed. 
Hame-chain and ring, same metal as other furniture, or 

steel. 
Martingale, standing. 




RUN-ABOUT HARNESS OF THE WINNING ENTRY AT THE 
NATIONAL HORSE SHOW. 



APPOINTMENTS FOR HANSOM, PHAETONS, ETC. 207 

Saddle, groove in tree for free passage of tug-strap. 

Tugs, English. 

Crupper-strap, buckle on loop near the saddle. 

Crupper, without buckle. 

Kicking-strap instead of breeching. 

Monogram, badge or crest on face-piece, rosettes, winkers, 

frog of martingale, both sides of saddle, nowhere 

else. 

For a Hansom the harness should be similar to that for 
a gig except in the following points: the bearing-rein, if 
used, should be single, the collar straight, the saddle very 
much heavier and with English tugs, the middle of the 
pad-girth should be broad, from four to six inches wide, the 
breeching heavy and the trace buckle near the whiffle-tree 
end. 

For Mail, Demi-mail, Stanhope or Spider Phaeton the 
harness is the same as a pair-horse brougham harness except 
that pole-chains should be used in place of pole-piece, and 
the harness should be somewhat lighter for use with a 
Spider Phaeton. 

For the Landau, Vis-a-vis or Omnibus the harness 
should be the same as that for a pair-horse brougham, but it 
is customary to dispense with the trace-bearers. 

For the Wagonette and similar weight non-sporting type 
of vehicle the harness should be the same as a pair-horse 
brougham harness, but made a little lighter throughout. 

For all sporting four-wheelers such as the Game-cart, 
Shooting-cart, Beach-wagon or Buckboard, harness with 
horseshoe buckles may be used and any of the various types 
of bits with the exception of the Buxton. 



208 APPOINTMENTS FOR TANDEM. 

The harness for Lady's Phaeton and Similar Carriages 
should be of the same type as for a run-about, except that 
the collar should be shaped, breeching used instead of kick- 
ing-strap, and standing martingale. Buxton bit with pulley- 
bridoon if full bearing-rein is used. Square buckles are 
preferable. 

FOR WET WEATHER. 

In harness of this type all the furniture is leather cov- 
ered, fronts, rosettes, hames, buckles, etc., and the leather 
used is black and generally of pigskin, as it is more imper- 
vious to rain. 

FOR A PONY CART. 

When intended for a basket-cart, russet harness with 
either brass or silver plated mounts looks better than black, 
but for any dark four-wheeled vehicle the latter color is 
preferable. A hame collar should be used, and if the har- 
ness is for a "two-wheeler" the purchaser should assure him- 
self that the tug-strap slips freely through the saddle 

FOR TANDEM. 

Tandem harness has been more or less indefinitely sep- 
arated into two types, the road and the park. The charac- 
teristics of each are, at the present time, arbitrarily deter- 
mined by individual taste, and in giving the details of each 
the author simply states his own preference. 





PARK. 


ROAD. 


Leather . . 


. . Black and double lined . 


Black or brown, 


Stitching . . 


. . Black, double . . . 


Single. 


Furniture . 


. . Silver plated or brass 


Brass. 


Buckles . . . 


, Square' 


Horseshoe. 




TANDEM HARNESS OF THE WINNING ENTRY AT THE 
NATIONAL HORSE SHOW, 



APPOINTMENTS FOR TANDEM. 209 

PARK. ROAD. 

Fronts Link pattern .... Alternate squares of 

metal and leather. 

Face-piece .... Required Optional. 

Winkers .... Square, slightly rounded 

corners Horseshoe. 

Bearing - rein drop- 
strap Attached to crown-piece. Omitted. 

Bearing-rein drop . Pear shaped, or double 

ring Ring pendent from throat- 
latch and divided by a 
bar in centre on whee^ 
er's bridle, lower part 
used for bearing-rein. 
Lead-rein ring . . Pendent from throat- 
latch of wheeler's 

bridle Upper section of above 

ring used for lead-rein. 

Bearing- rein . . . Full Plain or none. 

Bit Buxton and pulley- 

bridoon Elbow, Liverpool or 

straight bar Buxton. 

Collar Shaped for leader and 

wheeler, patent leath- 
er Straight, brown, black or 

basil-faced ; or breast 
for leader. 

Hames Anchor draft .... Anchor ball and ring, hooks 

of hames of burnished 
steel. 
Hame-terrets . . . Jointed on leader and 

wheeler Jointed on leader and 

wheeler. 

Hame-chain and ring Required Short kidney-link and 

chain without rinss. 



210 



APPOINTMENTS FOR TANDEM. 



Hame-tug . 



Trace-buckles 



Traces 



Martingale . . 
Saddle for wheeler 



Pad terret 



Saddle for leader 



Crupper and crupper- 
strap 



Trace-bearers 
Kicking- strap 
Reins . . 



PARK. ROAD. 

Rivet heads exposed, 

clip covered . . . Clip and rivet heads ex- 
posed. 
A shoulder terminating 
in an eye is welded to 
the under side of the 
front of the trace- 
buckles of the wheel- 
er's harness .... Same as for park, but 
shoulder and eye of steel. 

Plain Swivel and chain ends for 

wheeler of steel. 

Optional Optional. 

Gig pattern .... Gig pattern. If collar is 

basil-faced, saddle to 
match. 
Wheeler's divided by a 
bar to separate the 

wheel and lead-reins . Wheelers divided by a bar 

to separate the wheel 
and lead-reins. 
Similar to the pad for 
pair-horse victoria, 
but with side loops of 
leather to carry the 
traces. To match 
wheeler's saddle in 
finish Same as for park. 

Required Optional if bearing- rein is 

not used. 

On leader None. 

Required Optional. 

Single brown leather, no 
•buckles on hand- 
piece of leader's reins, Same as for park. 




o 

z re 

" w 
> U 

d: m 
z o 



APPOINJ-MENTS FOR PARK AND ROAD COACH. 211 

PARK. ROAD. 

Monograms or crests 

on Face-pieces, winkers, 

rosettes, martingale, 
trace - bearers and 

skirts of saddle . . Same as park or lead bar* 

design on rosettes and 
winkers only. 

FOR PARK AND ROAD COACH. 

The Park Harness is intended for use with the private 
coach and the Road Harness with the public coach. There 
is no special type of harness defined for use with the Body 
break, the writer's preference is for the park harness with- 
out the Buxton bit or full bearing-rein. 

PARK. ROAD. 

Leather .... Black, double lined . . Black or brown, single. 

Stitching .... Black Black or yellow, to match 

leather. 

Furniture .... Brass or silver . . . Brass. 

Buckles .... Square with slightly 

rounded corners . . Horseshoe. 

Fronts Single link pattern, or as 

shown in Plate . . . Alternate squares of 

leather and metal, or as 
shown in Plate. 

Face-pieces . . . Required Optional. 

Winkers .... Square with slightly 

rounded corners . . Same as park. 
Bearing - rein drop- 
strap Attached to crown-piece, Attached to throat-latch. 

Bearing-rein drop, 

Leaders .... Linked rings pendent 
from crown-piece of 

bridles Plain rings pendent from 

throat- latch. 
* .See Fig. 83. 



212 APPOINTMENTS FOR PARK AND ROAD COACH. 



ROAD, 



Bearing-rein drop, 
Wheelers . . . 

Bridle terrets, 

Wheelers . . . 



Bearing-reins 
Bits . . . 
Collars . 



Same as leaders 



A terret is riveted to the 
centre of the crown- 
piece, and another on 
the winker-stays . 

Round rings supported 
by point-straps of 
throat- latch and 
cheek-pieces on out- 
side of bridle . . . 

Full 

Buxton and pulley 
bridoon 

Patent leather and 
shaped 



Plain ring pendent from 
throat-latch. 



Same as park. 



Hames Anchor draft 



Hame-tug . 

Trace-buckles 
Hame-terrets 



Clip covered, only rivet 
heads exposed . . 



With metal loops at top 

and bottom . . 
Jointed Jointed. 



Round rings pendent from 

throat-latch. 
Any number of plain that 

may be required. 

Any design desired. 

Straight, black or brown 
or basil-faced and full 
padded. 

Anchor ball and ring. The 
eyes of shoulder and 
rings of draft and the 
bottom ends of the 
hames of steel. 

Clip and rivet heads ex- 
posed or trace sewed 
into ring. 

None. 



APPOINTMENTS FOR PARK AND ROAD COACH. 213 



PARK. 



ROAD. 



Kidney-links, 
Leaders . 



Wheelers 


. Jointed and ring . . 


Traces, 




Leaders . . . 


. With steel snap hook, 




screw ends up . . . 


Wheelers 


With metal loop . 


Breast-plate 


. With frogs on leaders 




and wheelers . 


Saddles, 




Leaders and 




Wheelers 


. Tug-straps sewed into 



Wheelers 



Trace-girths 



Crupper-straps 



Plated to match furni- 
ture. Jointed and no 

ring Chain and short kidney- 
link. 
As above with ring. 



Same. 

French loop or chain end. 

^Vithout frogs, and around 
collar and through kid- 
ney-link and only on 
wheelers. 



If collars are basil-faced, 
saddles should corre- 
spond. 

Newmarket tug fastened 
around trace buckle and 
through loop of pad. 
Lead-rein terrets on top 
of bearing-rein hooks 
of wheelers' saddles. 

Single strap similar to 
hame-strap fastened 
around lower side of 
trace buckles. 

Optional. 



metal loops of pad 
and trace buckles 



Lead -re in terrets on top 
of bearing-rein hooks 
of wheelers' saddles . 



Sewed into lower loops 
of trace buckles . 



Loops near saddles with 
straps and buckles 



214 



APPOINTMENTS FOR SINGLE ROAD. 





PARK. 


ROAD. 


Cruppers .... 


With or without buckles, 


Optional. 


Trace-bearers . . 


Optional 


None. 


Reins 


Single, brown leather 
throughout, draught- 
rein sewed in one 
piece,with end buckles 






only 


Same. 


Pole- chains . . . 


Burnished steel with 






single spring hooks . 


Burnished or black to 
match pole head and 
open hooks with India 
rubber ring. 


Monograms or crests. 


On rosettes, face-pieces, 
winkers, saddle pads, 
trace-bearers and 






frogs of breast-plate . 


Lead-bar design on wink- 



ers and rosettes only. 
(See Fig. 83.) 




FIG. 83. 
FOR SINGLE ROAD. 



The chief essentials are lightness and simplicity. 

Leather, black, double lined. 

Stitching, black. 

Furniture, terrets and check hook, black, enamelled on 

outside, gilt lined on the inside. 
Buckles, horseshoe and leather cover. 
Keepers, single and of leather, not metal. 
Winkers, square. 
Check-rein, over-draw round leather on the face. 



APPOINTMENTS FOR DOUBLE ROAD. 215 

Bits, half cheek, jointed snaffle and check bit. 

Collars, breast, with loops for running martingale. 

Running martingale above breast-piece of round leather, 
collar and rings leather covered. 

Hip-straps, single to within about four inches of breech- 
ing-seat. 

Traces, round leather from back of saddle to within a 
few inches of whiffle-tree or flat throughout. 

Reins, round leather from billet to hand pieces or flat 
throughout. 

Initial letter, not monogram or crest, on rosettes, on 
shoulder-straps of breast collar just above the 
buckle, on both sides of saddle, and on the hip- 
straps little more than halfway down. The leather 
under these parts is swelled to take the letter. 

FOR DOUBLE ROAD. 

This differs from the single in the following respects : 

Fronts, enamelled leather of stable colors. 

Collar, hame collar, patent leather, shaped and very light. 

Hames, leather covered with gilt draft and gilt eyes at 
top and bottom. 

Terrets to match those on the pad. Inside terrets at- 
tached to hames by a strap about four inches long. 

Kidney-link, steel bar with hooked ends and a metal D 
^ in the centre to take the yoke-straps. 

Coupling ring of ivory to be used. 

Saddle, with trace-loops instead of tugs. Enamelled 
leather housings to match fronts. 

Breast-plate with initial letter. 

Trace-bearers, not used. 



216 



COST. 



COST. 

BRASS. 

Brougham and Mail r Single . . . . . (^140 

Phaeton. • . J 1 ^75 

( Pair-horse . . , . J ^3oo 

Spider and T-Cart ($200 

I 260 

Curricle . $250 

c,. , T, u \ Black leather . . . f ^ 80 

bmgle Run-about .2 (no 

( Russet leather . . . $ 55 

Hansom ^75 

WetWeather Harness J S^^g'f ^ ^5 

( Pair-horse .... $150 

Tandem f ^^50 

( 300 

r Park ...... \ ^375 

Four-in-hand . . . -| i 55^ 

(.Road 1^225 

( 300 

Road Horse ... 1 Single, $ 50 

( Pair-horse, . . . . $125 

Pony Harness . . . i Single, $ 55 

I Pair-horse .... $125 



SILVER. 

$150 

185 

^325 
350 

$225 
280 

^275 
$ 85 
120 
$ 65 
$ 90 



$165 

350 

$400 

575 

^325 

$225 
$ 65 

^125 




CHAPTER IX. 
SADDLES AND BRIDLES. 

THE PARTS, CONSTRUCTION, DESIGN AND COST. 

Saddles, unlike any of the other 
purchases that a novice is called upon 
to make in setting up a stable, must 
fulfil to a nicety two very important 
requirements ; the first of which is 
fitting the horse, and second fitting 
the rider. Experience of a practical 
nature is the only means by which a 
tyro can qualify himself to choose a 
saddle which is both comfortable to 
the horse and himself. A good sad- 
dler mav be of much service in aiding: 
the novice in making a choice, but it 
is more than likely that after having 
used the saddle for some time the 
purchaser will find that, were he to 
buy another saddle, he would choose 
one of somewhat different shape, size 
or weight. If the first purchase 
proves successful in every respect it 
must be considered an unusual piece 
of good luck; and failure in the first 
instance should only serve to indicate what shapes and makes 
are to be avoided and the improvements desired in a future 
purchase. 

217 




218 



THE PARTS OF A SADDLE, 





FIG. 84. 



FIG. 85. 



I 


The pommel. 


I. 


The spring bar. 


2 


The seat and the waist. 


2. 


The point pocket 


3 


The cantle. 


3- 


The girth-tugs. 


4 


The pannel or lining. 


4- 


The sweat-flap. 


5 


The skirt. 






6 


The knee pad. 






7 


The flap. 







MEN S SADDLES. 



The framework of a man's saddle is composed of the 
tree, which is the wooden part that keeps the pressure of the 
saddle from falling on the horse's spine; the gullet plate, con- 
sisting of an iron fork attached to the tree under the pom- 
mel ; and the points of the tree, which extend from the ends 
of the gullet plate to the pockets in the flaps. The other 
parts of the saddle are shown in the accompanying cuts with 
descriptive notes. 



THE LEATHER, COLOR, STITCHING, FURNITURE. 219 
THE LEATHER. 

The material of which the saddle is made should be 
preferably of pigskin for the seat and flaps, or the latter may- 
be made of calfskin, if but a single thickness of leather is 
used, and the outer surface stamped to imitate pigskin. 
Doeskin, although giving the rider a firmer seat, is objec- 
tionable, first, because it absorbs the moisture in the air and 
becomes hard ; and second, because saddles in which it is 
employed are clumsier and less workmanlike in appearance. 
Imitation pigskin may be known by the absence of the 
holes from which the bristles have been taken in the true 
leather 

THE COLOR AND STITCHING. 

The leather should be of russet color, and the saddle and 
bridle correspond in shade. As the leather tones down with 
age and constant dressing it becomes a golden brown, which 
shade is the one most desirable to retain. The stitching 
should be yellow and free from any fancy design, such as 
scroll work, etc. In the best made saddles the stitching is 
confined to the edges of the various parts, the outlines of 
which it follows. 

THE FURNITURE. 

The furniture consists of the two spring-bars from which 
stirrup leathers are suspended, the rivet heads of the rivets 
and a D or staple in front of the skirt and one under 
it on each side. Two staples are placed on the left-hand 
side of the seat in hunting saddles. The spring-bars 
should be of steel and of some type that allows the stirrup 
leather to be released when drawn backward. The rivet 
heads are usually plated, as they receive but little wear and 



220 



THE WEIGHT. 



tear and may be kept bright with less chance of soiHng the 
leather than if made of steel and burnished. Metal loops 
are attached to the saddle in front of the skirt or sides of 
the seat for the purpose of holding the guide-straps of the 
martingale, a horn, flask or sandwich case. 




FIG. 86. 



THE WEIGHT. 

The weight of an ordinary saddle varies between twelve 
and sixteen pounds. A light hunting or polo saddle weighs 
about ten pounds. (See Fig. 86.) In reference to determin- 
ing what the weight of a saddle should be by the weight of 
the rider, Captain Hayes in " Riding," p. 233, says : 

"The commonly accepted rule that the weight of a saddle should be pro- 
portionate to that of the rider is not quite correct ; for a short, heavy man 
might ride, with full comfort to the horse, in a lighter saddle than a lighter, 
though taller man could do. The weight of an ordinary saddle depends 
on (i) the length of tree suitable to the rider's length of thigh; (2) the 
shape of the rider's stern ; for if this is broad, extra weight in the tree will 



THE RULES FOR MEASURING SIZE. 



221 



be required to give the necessary width in the seat of the saddle; (3) the 
amount of material in the tree, so that it may not bend or ' give ' under the 
weight." 




FIG. 87. 

THE RULES FOR MEASURING. 
" Length of seat A, fore part to cantle, state if ctit back or straight head ; 
B, width of seat; C, length from cantle to lower part of knee roll; D, from 
centre of saddle to bottom of flap ; E, width across flap. Height and weight 
of rider, also whether long or short stirrup-leathers are used. For fit of 
horse, describe if round or high withers, hollow or straight back.^' 



THE SIZE. 

The length of the seat (see Fig. d>'j) should be such that 
when the knees are held in their proper position against the 
flaps, there will be about two inches of the seat left exposed 
near the cantle. The position of the knees should be deter- 
mined by, first, the length of the stirrup being just long 



222 THE SHAPE. 

enough to admit of placing the knuckles vertically between 
the crotch of the legs and the seat of the saddle when the 
rider stands upright in his stirrups ; second, by the knee 
being carried either forward or backward to a point where 
the shin bone and the stirrup leather fall in a vertical line. 
If, however, the person for whom the saddle is being meas- 
ured is accustomed to ride either with a very long or a very 
short stirrup, the measurements should be taken with the leg 
in the position determined by the customary length of the 
stirrup-leather. The average rider will find the correct 
length by adjusting the stirrup-leather so that when the tips 
of the fingers are in contact with the spring bars, and the 
arm extended, the bottom of the stirrup will just reach the 
armpit. 

THE SHAPE. 

As has been said in a preceding paragraph, when horses 
have high withers the saddle should be cut back at the 
pommel, and in all cases the appearance of the saddle is en- 
hanced and a more sloping effect given to the horse's 
shoulder by having this part slightly cut back. (See Fig. 86.) 
The seat of the saddle should have a " dip " suited to the 
conformation of the rider, but the " dip " should be slight, 
as the closer all parts of the saddle are to the horse's back 
the better will be the seat of the rider. For the same rea- 
son saddles with broad waists are objectionable ; this, how- 
ever, is a fault too frequently met with even in well made 
saddles. The rider may choose a saddle with knee pads or 
without as he fancies ; the former gives a more secure hold 
to a beginner. The flaps (see Fig. %^) should be cut well 
forward, but not to such an extent that there is no leather 
under the middle of the thigh. By comparing Figs. 88 and 



THE SHAPE. 



223 




FIG. 88. 




FIG. 89. 



224 THE FITTING AND CONSTRUCTION. 

89 the points described above will be more readily under- 
stood. 

" I will give the reader a hint, by attending to which he will derive con- 
siderable advantage ; (it is on a trifling difference in the lower flap of a 
saddle, yet one I never saw attended to by the best judges in such mat- 
ters;) it is this : 

" I think it must be quite clear that, supposing two men — one five feet 
three, and another five feet eleven — were both well proportioned, were both 
to get into their saddles, the leg of the tall man must come lower down on 
the flap of the saddle than that of the short one. Supposing these were 
each to order a saddle of an eminent maker, desiring it to be about sixteen 
or seventeen inches, and with its appendages to weigh twelve or thirteen 
pounds — about the usual weight of a hunting saddle — the lower flap of each 
would be stuffed and made alike. What is the consequence ? We should 
see the calf of the leg of the short man touching — in fact, resting against 
— the lower part of the saddle flap and he gets a firm hold by it ; but the 
same part of the leg of the tall man coming still lower down, it is just oppo- 
site to that part of the flap which is the thinnest, and where, in fact, except 
before the leg, there is no stuffing at all ; consequendy, the same part of his 
leg will be an inch away from that part of the flap, and not rest on it like 
the other's (if on occasion it is wanted to do so), to give an additional grip 
of his horse, unless, indeed, he was bow-legged. A man with a large calf 
could get this hold ; but suppose, like me, he happens to be one of ' the 
lean kine,' and what over-calf he carries about with him is anywhere but on 
his legs, he can only rely on his knees, in a general way." — Charles Brind- 
ley, " Practical Horsemanship,^' p. no. 

THE FITTING AND CONSTRUCTION. 

The proper fitting of the saddle used for riding is of even 
greater importance than that of the collar for driving. The 
chief reasons are : first, no weight should fall on the horse's 
spine ; second, all weight should be evenly distributed ; and 
third, the shape of the saddle should correspond to the lines 
of the horse's back, so that the saddle will remain in place 



THE FITTING AND CONSTRUCTION. 225 

without the girth being unduly tight. Therefore the tree 
should be fitted before being covered. It should be wide 
and high enough to raise the seat well off of the horse's spine 
and withers, and be shaped so that all parts bear evenly. 
If the horse has very high withers, the saddle should be cut 
back at the pommel and the points of the tree sloped forward. 
The gullet plate in all well made saddles is strong enough to 
bear the weight of the rider without spreading ; but in 
inferior ones, or in those that have been bent by the horse 
being turned in a small place after the girths have been 
tightened, the original shape is often so changed that the 
withers become chafed from the pressure which is in conse- 
quence brought upon them. The stuffing should be of 
curled horsehair, comparatively thin and free from lumps. 

" I can strongly recommend the method adopted by Mr. NichoUs, the 
London saddler, of covering the pannel of a saddle with leather on that por- 
tion which rests on the back. The part of the pannel which lies usually 
between the flaps and the horse's sides is replaced by a simple thickness of 
leather, an arrangement which allows the rider's knees to get much closer 
than they usually can to the animal's sides. With such saddles the pannels 
always remain dry and elastic." — Captain Hayes, " Riding" p. 2J4. 

Whenever the opportunity presents itself it is advisable, 
when purchasing a horse, to buy the saddle as well, provid- 
ing it fits and is in a good state of preservation. An old 
saddle is softer and more comfortable than a new one until 
the latter is " broken in." On this point, Charles Brindley 
says in " The Pocket and the Stud," p. 96 : 

" Whenever I bought a horse, if the saddle he had been accustomed to 
be ridden with pleased me, I generally bought that also if I could." 

Three girth-tugs are usually fastened to the tree between 
the flaps and the sweat-flaps on both sides of the saddle. 



226 THE STIRRUP-LEATHER. 

In cheap grades sometimes only one or two girth-tugs are 
attached ; in racing saddles of light weight, the tugs are 
omitted and the girth is placed over the seat of the saddle 
and the ends buckled together. The lining or pannel is 
" laced," /. ^., sewed to the tree, in order to avoid the use of 
nails or other metal fastenings which might become loose 
and result in injury to the horse's back. Six small rivets 
are generally used to hold the skirt, and parts under it, in 
place. These rivets are placed three on each side, one near 
the end of the pommel and another just below it and the 
third below the seat a little back of the widest part. Staples 
are generally fastened on each side of the pommel in front 
of the skirts or on the edge of the seat at the widest part. 

THE STIRRUP-LEATHER.* 

The stirrup-leather should be of soft, pliable and strong 
leather. The dimensions are usually determined by the 
weight of the rider. A stirrup-leather for a man of average 
height and weight is about an inch and a half wide, and a 
little over four feet long from the buckle to the end of the 
point. A double or bar buckle of steel should be used on 
the upper end of which is a revolving band (see Fig. 90), 
and not the single buckle which is shown in Fig. 91. The 
double buckle is divided in the middle with a bar on 
which the tongue works; after the end of the stirrup-leather 
is fastened, the point may be passed through the opening 
between the bar and the lower end of the buckle. If the 
buckle is plated it soon becomes shabby by the scaling off of 
the plate, but when made of steel it can be burnished and 
kept as bright as any of the other solid metal parts. 

* For Stirrups and Spurs, see pp. 234-237, and for Girths, see p. 237. 



THE STIRRUP LEATHER. 



227 





FIG. 90. 



HG. 91. 



228 



WOMEN'S SADDLES. 




FIG. 92.* 



WOMEN S SADDLES. 

A woman's saddle in the general construction of the 
framework is not unlike that for a man. The points of 
special importance are thus described by Mrs. M. H. Hayes 
in her book " The Horse-woman," p. 9 et seq. : 

" The saddle should maintain its position by the proper shape of the tree 
and by the points of the tree fitting closely the horse's sides, just behind the 
shoulder blades, so as to prevent the ' wobbling ' of the saddle. The fact 
that the distance between the points of the tree should be equal to the width 
of that portion of the animal's body which they overlap, is the reason why a 

* From "Hints to Horse-women." 



WOMEN'S SADDLES. 229 

side saddle, other things being equal, will fit far fewer horses than a man's 
saddle, in which there is little or no side play. The saddle should be suffi- 
ciently long for the rider, which it generally will be if the cantle is about one 
inch clear behind her. If the tree be too short, the cantle, at fast paces, 
will be forced downwards and backwards so that the skin just behind the 
saddle will be liable to be rumpled and bruised at each stride ; a sore back 
being the probable result in a short time. 

"Though the greatest care should be taken to prevent the possibility of 
the gullet plate (the iron arch at the pommel) touching the withers, so long 
as there is suificient space left to obviate such an accident, there is no need 
to have the pommel tilted up more than can be helped. This (the arch of 
the gullet being too narrow) is a very common fault in side saddles, and 
is one to which sufficient attention has not been directed. The olT front 
part of the tree should be shaped so as to minimize the chance of this injury. 
It is a good plan to have the gullet plate cut far back, so as to leave the 
withers uncovered, except by a soft pad that forms the continuation of the 
'safe' (the padded front piece of the near flap of a side saddle). This 
arrangement helps to make the seat level. Side saddles should be made 
with the seat on the near side eased off, so as to allow the rider's left leg to 
get close to the horse. The near side of the cantle is also made a little 
higher than the off side, so as to correct any tendency there may be to sit 
too much over the near side. 

" Fashion decrees that the seat of the saddle when on the horse should 
lie in as horizontal a position as possible. To obtain this, the seat of the 
tree (which in all cases should follow the shape of that portion of the horse's 
back upon which it rests) is built up with padding so as to make it more or 
less level from front to rear and as flat as possible across the seat, while 
allowing space for the stirrup leg. The pannel or under part, which is next 
the horse, should not be too much stuffed ; for if it is the saddle will be liable 
to shift its position. The ' level seat ' saddle has the great improvement 
of a cut back pommel. Although an old-flishioned saddle is uncomfortable 
on account of the right knee being raised to an undue height, I think that an 
absolutely level seat is a mistake, for it affords less security than one in the 
seat of which there is a slight depression to sit in. For my own riding I 
like a dip of about two inches in the seat of the saddle. The side saddle 
has two crutches on the left side of the front part of the tree (the wood and 



230 WOMEN'S SADDLES. 

iron framework of the saddle). The right leg is placed over the upper 
crutch and the left leg presses against the lower crutch which is technically 
called the leaping head. The leaping head should be placed so that it may 
press, when required, against the rider's left leg a little above the knee ; and 
it should be sufficiently separated from the upper crutch to afford along with 
it a firm purchase. The shorter the rider's limbs the nearer should the leap- 
ing head be placed to the upper crutch. If the two be wide apart from each 
other, a woman whose limb is short will probably be able to touch the leap- 
ing head only with the point of her left knee, and will consequently have a 
very insecure seat in such a saddle. The leaping head should be attached 
to the saddle by a screw and may have two or more socket holes, so that the 
rider can regulate the angle and position of the leaping head as she sees fit. 
The screw should be thick and the thread particularly deep so that the leap- 
ing head may not work loose, which would cause it to be very uncomfortable. 
The leaping head should be sufficiently long and strong to give a firm bear- 
ing for the leg. With the object of having it appear 'smart' and neat, 
many saddlers make the leaping head too short and weak for safety in rough 
work or on difficult horses. If the upper crutch be very long, it will poke 
the skirt up and give it a bad appearance. At the same time, if it be too 
short, it will afford an insecure grip on the leg. Hence in a saddle intended 
merely for purposes of show, the upper crutch may be shorter than in one 
for real work. 

"The stirrup-leather may be attached to the near side by a bar, 
which may or may not be of the safety kind ; or it may pass over a 
roller bar and be connected by a buckle (in reach of the lady's hand when 
she is mounted), with a strap called a balance strap, which comes from the 
off side of the cantle. The former plan possesses the great advantage of 
not requiring the leather, after it has once been put to the proper length, to 
be altered for different animals, or for the same horse when he gets a little 
slack in his girth from work. The latter theoretically has the commenda- 
tion of allowing the rider to lengthen or shorten her stirrup as she wishes 
after she is mounted without having to shift the position of her legs. In 
practice, however, the undoing of the buckle and the pulling up of the strap 
(if the leather has to be shortened) demand, as a rule, too much strength 
of fingers and arm for a lady of ordinary physical powers to accomplish 
easily. The balance strap, which appears to have a good effect in keeping 



WOMEN'S SADDLES. 



231 





FIG. 93. 



FIG. 94. 



RULES FOR MEASURING. 

"77/if lady should sit ztnth her back close to a wall, and the distance from 
the wall to the point of the knee measured with a stiff rule, as in accompany- 
ing illustration. This ?fieasure given correctly with height and weight of lady 
will enable us to insure a perfect fit. 

''Jf ordering new saddle from a saddle in use, give following measure- 
ments : length from back of upright head to can tie, A to B, and width of seat 
across saddle at widest part, f-om C to D. Give height and weight of lady ; 
also if horse has high or low withers, hollow, round or straight back, also if 
horse is accustomed to a saddle.^' 



232 



WOMEN'S SADDLES. 



the saddle steady, need not necessarily be connected with the stirrup-leather, 
but it may be fixed to the front girth-strap on the near side of the saddle. 
The ideal safety bar is one, firstly, which will release the leather instantly, if 
in the event of a fall the foot gets caught in the iron ; secondly, which will 
not do so unless such an accident happens. In park riding and ordinary 
hacking a fall is such an unusual circumstance and occurs on such well 
known grounds, that it matters little if the leather comes out as a necessary 
consequence of a tumble. In the hunting field and in hard riding abroad 
great inconvenience might be felt if the leather was liable to become re- 
leased whenever the rider got thrown ; for it would not always be possible to 




FIG. 95. 



find the stirrup after it had dropped off. Any stirrup bar made on the prin- 
ciple of that used for a gentleman's saddle will not do for a side saddle. 
Although it can be made so as to obviate with certainty the risk of the 
rider's getting dragged, the leather with it would be liable to slip out of 
the bar, if the lady happened to draw back her left foot a little more than 
usual. I must say, however, that I have never seen any bar that satisfies 
these two conditions." 



WOMEN'S SADDLES. 233 

Mrs. Annie Blood-Smyth, writing under the pseudonym 
of Mrs. Henry Allbutt, says in "Hints to Horse-women," p. 19: 

" Saddles are now sometimes made weighing as little as fourteen or 
fifteen pounds, but such very light ones are a mistake, what you gain in one 
way you lose in another, and the saving of weight is effected at the expense 
of the tree, which ought, of course, to be as strong as possible. The best 
saddle I ever rode in weighed, when new, eighteen pounds ; but a saddle, after 
a year or two of wear, will become a little heavier. This is the right weight 
for a really good, strong saddle. The average length of a modern saddle is 
perhaps nineteen inches, and they are made up to twenty-two, so it will 
easily be understood that every woman should, if possible, have her saddle 
made for her, giving when she orders it her length from hip to knee, and if 
she goes to a man who understands his business the result will be a very 
comfortable saddle. 

" Again, saddles should only be made of thoroughly well seasoned 
leather, and this, naturally, one is most certain to obtain from a firm who 
do a large business and who can afford to store the leather until it is fit 
for use, and rest assured that a cheap saddle, though it costs less to begin 
with, will always be dearest in the end and is apt to try one's temper sorely 
as it becomes daily more and more unsatisfactory. If you ride the same 
horse regularly it is a wise precaution to get your saddle specially stuffed to 
fit him. Always have your saddle lined with strong, unbleached linen, brown 
Holland, I believe it is usually called. This is by far the best stuff to use and 
in every way infinitely superior to the thick warm serge generally employed. 
Nowadays an air channel is a sine qua non in any well built side saddle. 
The cutting away of the flaps on the near side gives the rider a flatter seat 
and is essentially a step in the right direction. It always admits of better 
ventilation, and to keep a horse's back cool goes a long way towards keeping 
it sound. 

" The leaping head is a subject that requires some attention, for unless it 
catches you in the right place it is useless and gives no grip whatever. It 
ought, when you press against it, to catch you just above the knee, but if you 
are tall it won't do this unless you have it specially so arranged. Usually any 
saddle except my own catches me higher up, which is useless. And it makes 
a vast difference whether you can catch a grip or whether your leg slips 



234 STIRRUP IRONS. 

under the leaping head, as it assuredly will do if it is too high up. So if you 
are tall and long legged have it lower down than it generally is. But no 
matter what your height is, have it only just sufficiently bent to allow you to 
fit easily under it. If too high it will bruise you horribly ; and on the other 
hand, if it is too big it will interfere with the sit of your habit. Have the 
horn at the top cut just the right height, and no more. Unnecessary height 
is useless and only makes an unsightly hump. 

" The best way to attach your stirrup is to have a strap on the off side of 
your saddle just behind the second D. To this strap fasten your stirrup- 
ieather, which should come round over the girths and be buckled into it. 
This plan has a great advantage over the old one. With it you cannot drag 
your saddle crooked ; no matter how heavily you lean on the stirrup you 
merely tighten the saddle, and at the same time keep it straight. For by 
this contrivance the weight and pull come evenly, instead of all on one side, 
for which boon, if he could speak, your horse would doubtless express the 
deepest gratitude. Every saddle should have four D's, two in front for the 
breast-plate and two on the off side just behind the flap, for the little flask 
and sandwich case ; without which it is never wise to start for a long day. 

"While doeskin seats are still to be seen, happily such sights are becom- 
ing daily more uncommon. Never have a pocket for a handkerchief in the 
off side of your saddle ; it spoils the look of it completely, and to say the 
least, a little fluttering colored rag is no set off to a saddle, but on the con- 
trary is most unsightly, and when it is absent the slit alone is more than suf- 
ficient to mar the perfect plainness it should be our object to aim at. I ad- 
mit that this small pocket is a convenient place to carry a handkerchief in, 
but for all that you must find another, even at the expense of a little com- 
fort. Never mind ^ il f ant soufrir pour ctre belle.' All these little details 
may appear trifling, but inattention to them considerably alters the effect of 
the whole." 

STIRRUP IRONS. 

For men's saddles they should be of the best forged steel, 
and large enough to enable the rider, in case of accident, to 
readily release his foot. There is great danger in using a 
stirrup in which the foot is likely to get jammed if " thrust 
home," i. e., pushed through the stirrup as far as the instep 



STIRRUP IRONS. 



235 



and heel of the boot will allow. The weight should be such 
as to make the stirrup steady, in order that the stirrup can 
be easily caught by the foot when the horse is moving. The 
average sized stirrup should weigh about sixteen or eighteen 
ounces. The shape of the tread varies. For ordinary use, 
the oval form, open in the centre and with the upper surface 
roughened or the edges sharply bevelled, is a very good pat- 
tern. The addition of a bar through the centre, and the 
upright sides broadened to the height of a little more than an 
inch, gives a firm grip and is more comfortable for hard 
riding. Stirrup irons made with solid flat treads never afford 
a firm foothold. A rider advanced in years often prefers the 




FIG. 97. 



use of a rubber pad in place of the roughened surface, as 
the former is less likely to slip from the foot, and affords a 
softer point of leverage. The opening for the stirrup-leather 
should not be curved as it twists the leathers out of shape 
so that they do not lie flat when shortened or let out. 



236 



SFUJ^S. 



SPURS. 
The beginner is advised to avoid the use of spurs until, 
having obtained a good seat, he is thoroughly "at home" on 
his horse. It is not at all a bad plan to begin with the dull 





FIG. 98. 



FIG. 99. 



polo spur, the shank of which is made without a rowel. All 
spurs for park riding or hunting should be made of steel and 
the shank should be short ; there is no advantage in a long 
one, and the chance of unintentionally spurring the horse is 



GIRTHS, SADDLE-CLOTHS AND NUMNAHS. 237 

increased. The rowel should be small, the depth of the 
point is a matter of personal fancy. At the ends of the parts 
passing around the heel there should be flat-headed buttons 
with moderately long necks to receive the straps which pass 
under and over the instep. 

GIRTHS. 

Girths are for the purpose of fastening the saddle to the 
horse's back and are made of brown or white webbing, 
leather, rawhide or cord. (See Figs. loo, loi.) The girth 
most popular and the best for ordinary conditions is called the 
Fitzwilliam, (See Fig. lOO.) It is made of webbing and con- 
sists of a broad under girth about five inches wide, it has a 
loop of leather attached transversely near both ends and two 
buckles fastened by leather strips sewed to the webbing, the 
average length is three feet nine inches. Over this broad 
girth a narrower and trifle shorter one is placed through the 
loops of the under girth and has a buckle at both ends. 
The length of this girth is about three feet six inches and 
about three and a quarter inches wide. The plain leather 
girth, although favored by some few good horsemen, is open 
to the objection of its being very apt to cut the horse, espe- 
cially a delicate skinned one. Girths made of plaited raw- 
hide and cord (see Fig, loi) are very good as they are cool 
and strong. The girth buckle should be a double or bar 
buckle (see Fig. 90), not a single buckle like in Fig. 91. 
Girths vary in length, the girth measure of the horse should 
be taken with the saddle in place. 

SADDLE-CLOTHS AND NUMNAHS. 

Both saddle-cloths and numnahs are pads used under 



238 



GIRTHS. 





FIG. lOI, 



SADDLE APPURTENANCES. 



239 



the riding saddle, and are intended to protect the pannel or 
lining of the saddle from the sweat of the horse. (See Fig. 
I02.) The objection to saddle-cloths is that they are heating 




FIG. 102. 



and fill up the channel over the backbone, in consequence of 
both of which faults they render the horse's back liable to sore- 
ness. The numnah is made of a single thickness of leather 
shaped the same as the saddle and extending one or two 
inches beyond it on all sides. The leather is often perfo- 
rated with the object of giving a free circulation of air. 
Saddle-cloths and numnahs are fastened to the saddle by 
means of a strap which passes around the sweat-flap on each 
side and is fastened by a buckle. 

SADDLE APPURTENANCES. 

These are usually limited to the hunting horn and case, 
the spirit flask and case or holster and the sandwich case. 



240 



SADDLE APPURTENANCES. 




FIG. 103. 



FIG. 104. 



These are shown in Figs. 103-107. The best means of at- 
taching any one of these fittings is by a strap fastened to 
the staple in front of the skirt of the saddle, and passing 
the girth through a loop on a broad flap attached to the 




FIG. 105. 



FIG. I o6. 



FIG. 107. 



THE LEATHER AND PARTS. 



241 



lower part of the fitting. In women's saddles D's are placed 
on the edge of the seat on the off side between the waist 
and the cantle, to which these attachments are fastened. 

THE LEATHER. 

Bridles should always be made from well seasoned leather 
that has been pressed and is soft and pliable. The thickness 
of the leather used in a bridle is no proof of its strength, in 
fact the leather should be thin but made so by being well 
pressed while in the hands of the saddler. It should be 
noticed that in the following dimensions given of the parts 
of a bridle, the reins of a woman's bridle are somewhat nar- 
rower than those for a man's. 




FIG. 1 08. 



THE PARTS. 

A single bridle consists of a headstall, i. e., a crown- 
piece, cheek-pieces, front, throat-latch and nose-band (option- 
al). A double bridle, besides the above, has a bridoon-head, 
to which the bridoon bit is fastened, and consists of a piece 



242 



THE BUCKLES. 



of leather with buckles on one or preferably both sides, by 
means of which its length is adjusted. The bridoon-head 
passes under the crown-piece and behind the cheek-piece 
of the headstall. 



THE BUCKLES. 



The buckles on the bridle are either plated or covered 
with leather. The latter present a neater appearance and 
are almost as durable. The cheek-pieces of some bridles 
are made without billets, the bit or bits being sewed in. 



^▼▼▼TffVVTyffff^i 




FIG. 109. 



I I II I I llllllilMII 



FIG. no. 




FIG. III. 

These are very neat and may be employed when an owner 
has a number of bridles, but this form does not admit of 
the bits being readily changed, and moreover requires more 
time and care in scouring and burnishing. 

" I advocate what buckles are necessary to a bridle being a long square 
(if I may use the term) ; whether they are prettier or the reverse than the 
rounded ones is mere matter of taste. I think they look workmanlike, be- 
cause there is a sensible advantage in them. They do not bend the reins, 
do not wear its edges, and when wanted to be shifted, run more easily, 
and admit of rollers to enable them to do so." — Charles Brindey, "Practi- 
cal Horsemanship,''' p. 105. 



THE REINS AND DIMENSIONS OF BRIDLE. 243 

THE REINS. 

The rein for the snaffle or bridoon is usually made with 
a buckle at the hand end so that, when used with a run- 
ning martingale, small stiff pieces of leather, called "stops," 
about half an inch wide and two inches and a quarter long, 
may be run over the reins to a point in front of the rings 
of the martingale. When a double bridle is used the hand 
ends of the curb-rein are generally sewed together. Red, 
green or white enamel leather fronts may be used in place 
of the brown leather one. (See Figs. 109, 1 10, iii.) 

When a number of horses are kept or the horses fre- 
quently changed, it will be necessary to keep a fair sized 
assortment of bits and bridles. On this subject, Charles 
Brindley says : 

" If people are contented to ride or drive horses in bridles and bits that 
do not suit their mouths, of course a very few will do ; but if we want 
horses to go pleasantly, each must have his bridle, for though a horse may 
go moderately well in a certain bridle, a man with nice hands and who is 
particular as to how he is carried, will not rest till he finds the bridle that 
exactly suits." — " The Pocket and the Stud,'' p. 95. 

DIMENSIONS OF BRIDLE OF AVERAGE-SIZED HORSE. 

FEET. INCHES. 

Crown- piece, length i--3^ 

Crown-piece, width . . i )^ 

Front, length i . . 5 

Front, width . . i 

Cheek-pieces, length . . 10 

Cheek-pieces, width . . % 

Throat-latch, length 2 . . 4 

Throat-latch, width . . ^ 

Nose-band, length 2.-4 

Nose-band, width . . ^ 



244 MARTINGALES. 

FEET. INCHES. 

Snaffle or bridoon reins, length 4 . . lo 

Snaffle or bridoon reins, width . . % 

Curb-rein, length 4 . , lo 

Curb-rein, width . . ^ 

Reins for a woman's bridle, width . . ^ 

MARTINGALES. 

Martingales are of two forms, the standing and the 
running. The former consists of a piece of narrow leather 
at one end of which is a loop through which the broader of 
the two saddle-girths passes ; at the other end a ring is 
sewed to which the ends of the neck-strap are attached. 
This latter strap usually has a buckle for adjusting the 
length, and is frequently made with a ring, separating the 
strap on both sides of the withers, for attaching the neck- 
strap to the saddle by short loop straps coming from the D's 
on the sides of the saddle. From the ring in the neck-strap 
at the breast is an adjustable loop, which extends either to 
the under part of the nose-band, or is split and has billets 
or snap hooks on the end by which it is attached to the bit. 
The running martingale (see Figs. 112 and 113) differs from 
the standing in that a piece of leather, with a buckle at the 
free end, is sewed into the ring of the neck-strap, and at- 
tached to a piece of narrow, split leather at the ends of 
which are sewed rings that take the snaffle-rein. The buck- 
les and rings of the martingale are either plated or leather 
covered. They should match those of the bridle. 

Regarding the purpose and the effect of martingales. 
Captain M. H. Hayes says: 

" The standing martingale is attached to the nose-band ; or its billets 
at each side may be fixed to the snaffle rings. The latter form is a very use- 



MARTINGALES. 



245 





FIG. 112. 



FIG. 113. 



246 MARTINGALES. 

ful preventative of rearing and should be employed in preference to the 
other ; because it teaches a horse to save his mouth by bending his neck. 
The standing martingale should, as a rule, be used only with horses that 
require some such restraint to prevent them from star-gazing, 'chucking up' 
their heads, rearing, or for feats of manege riding. Its use, within proper 
limits, for keeping a horse's head down can in no way be dangerous even 
when 'crossing a country ' ; this form of martingale, with a troublesome horse 
that requires its employment, relieves the rider's hands and arms of a great 
deal of disagreeable exertion. The use of the standing martingale, at- 
tached to the rings of the snaffle, is to prevent the horse from getting the 
mouth-piece off the bars of the mouth, if he attempts to do so by rais- 
ing his head. Therefore we should employ it lengthened out as much 
as we can without allowing the animal the chance of shifting the mouth- 
piece from the bars on to the corners of the mouth. Personally I would 
never use the standing martingale attached to the nose-band ; for I have 
always found it act much better when fixed to the rings of the snaffle. 
Fond as I am of the standing martingale, I would advise that it should 
never be employed when going out for a ride on a horse that is wholly igno- 
rant of its action ; for, if he jerks up his head, he may throw himself back 
on feeling the unaccustomed restraint. I once saw a lady, who is a fine 
rider, very nearly killed by this accident. 

" The uses of the running martingale are : ( i ) to aid the hands and 
arms in keeping the horse's head down; (2) to increase the power of the 
rider in holding his head straight ; (3) to retain the reins in their place, and 
to prevent either of them from getting over the neck. With the first object 
in view the martingale may be adjusted so as to allow the direction of the 
pull of the reins to be in a line with the top of the withers. With horses 
which keep their heads sufficiently low, the martingale should be somewhat 
longer, so that it may not cramp the action of the head in any way. A 
rider, by an extra expenditure of strength, may keep his head low enough to 
be able to dispense with a martingale for holding the horse's head down ; but 
do what he chooses he will not have the same power to keep him straight 
as he would have with one on. Of course I am referring to free, ' flippant ' 
goers, and not to ' slugs.' I strongly advocate the use of the running mar- 
tingale. If 'stops' be not on reins which have buckles, the ends of the 
straps (billets) of the buckles should be withdrawn out of their keepers so 



COST OF SADDLES, BRIDLES, ETC. 247 

that the rings of the martingale may not catch on the buckles, which might 

lead to a serious accident with an impetuous horse." — " Riding," p. 2ig 

et seq. 

COST OF SADDLES, BRIDLES, ETC. 

men's saddles. 

Park saddle with stirrup irons and girths, about ^40.00 

Very light weight hunting saddle with stirrup irons and girths, about 50.00 

Exercising saddle " " " " " " 25.00 

STIRRUP-LEATHERS. 

Park or hunting leathers, per pair 3.50 

Exercising " " 2.50 

women's saddles. 

Park saddle with stirrup iron and girths, about 75-oo 

Hunting " '< " « " " 100.00 

GIRTHS. 

Fitzwilliam girths, per pair 4.00 

Rawhide or whipcord girth 2.50 

Single exercising girth 1.50 

numnahs. 

y , f For a man's saddle 4.50 

1 For a woman's saddle 6.00 

Fawn or felt f For a man's saddle .... 350 

saddle-cloths 1 For a woman's saddle ... 4.50 

bridles. 

Single, without bits, about 5.00 

Double, " " " .• . . . 7.50 

MARTINGALES. 

Standing, about 5.00 

Running, " 6.00 



248 COST OF SADDLES, BRIDLES, ETC. 

STIRRUP IRONS. 

Men's irons, per pair, about ^3.50 

Women's safety stirrup, about 5.00 

Rubber pads for tread of stirrups 1.50 

SPURS. 

Men's, per pair, about 3.00 

Women's, single spur, about 2.00 

SADDLE APPURTENANCES. 

Hunting horn and case, about 6.50 

Spirit flask " " " 8.50 

Sandwich box " " " ... 9.00 




CHAPTER X. 
BITS. 

THE CONSTRUCTION OF DRIVING AND RIDING BITS, THE 
VARIOUS TYPES, CURB-CHAINS AND COST. 

Bits, in the control of the 
horse, may be considered the 
key. If they fit they lay be- 
fore the owner an extensive 
field of pleasant diversion, but 
if they are not right the value 
of the horse is beyond the 
reach of the rider or driver. 
On the other hand, many own- 
ers, supposing they were the 
possessors of an equine treas- 
ure, have had innumerable con- 
trivances made in their en- 
deavor to find a key to an imaginary prize. Hence the 
variety of modifications and elaborations in the forms of bits 
is almost endless. 

" A bit, whether for riding or driving, should be of such a shape and 
dimensions, and fitted on in such a manner as to control a horse with the 
least possible effort of the rider or driver. These essentials may be ob- 
tained in the highest degree without irritating the animal. Unfortunately, 
from sheer carelessness and ignorance, a great deal of cruelty is daily 
practised on the horses of the higher and richer classes, in the way of ill- 
proportioned, ill-shaped, extravagantly large, heavy and misfitting bits, which, 
drawn tight by bearing-reins on the gag principle, convert them into instru- 

249 




250 



THE MOUTH-PIECE. 



ments of torture, cultivate vice, and create unsoundness. The names of 
bits are legion, but they are constructed either on the principle of the snaffle 
or the curb or a combination of both." — S. Sidney, ^'■The Book of the 
Horse,'' p. 306. 



fk;. 114. 

1 Eye for billet of headstall and 

for curb hook. 

2 Upper arm of cheek. 

3 Mouth-piece. 

4 Canon. 

5 Port. 

6 Lower arm of cheek-piece. 

7 Lip-strap loop. 

8 Curb-rein ring. 

9 Slide for movable mouth-piece. 




FIG. 114. 



THE MOUTH-FIECE. 



The mouth-piece varies in length between three and 
three quarters and five inches. AUhough Major Francis 
Dwyer, in " Seats and Saddles," places the limit at four and 
a half inches, the writer has encountered horses that required 
a mouth-piece measuring five inches. In all cases the length 
should be determined by the width of the horse's mouth. 
The cheek-pieces should fit snugly but without pressing 
against the sides of the mouth ; about an eighth of an inch 
play should be allowed between the lips and the cheek- 
pieces. The thicker the mouth-piece the less severe will 
its action be on the tongue, bars of the mouth and lips. The 
principal forms in which mouth-pieces are made is shown 
in Fig. 115. 



MO UTH-PIE CES. 



251 




Straight Bar. 



Mullen. 



Cambrido;e. 



Half Rough. 




Melton. 




Full Port. 




Greenwood. ^^ 



Double. 



Double and 
Twisted. 



Chain. 



FIG. 115. 

MOUTH-PIECES. 



252 THE PORT AND COVERING FOR MOUTH-PIECES. 




FIG. I I 6. 



The Jointed Mouth-Piece consists of two sec- 
tions in the form of segments, the inner ends of 
which terminate in rings and are linked together; 
this is the most effective mouth-piece for a single 
bit, as almost all the pressure acts on the bars. 

The Gridiron is an attachment rather than a 
distinct form of bit and is used on the stiff types 
of mouth-pieces for the purpose of preventing the 
horse from getting his tongue over the mouth- 
piece. It revolves on both sides of the port and 
is blocked so as to prevent it from turning for- 
ward. (See Fig. 1 16.) 



THE PORT. 

The port is for either of one of two purposes. First, to 
take the pressure off of the horse's tongue, in w^hich case 
the curve is made slight, about three eighths of an inch at the 
deepest point, and about one and a half inches wide at 
the bottom. Care must be taken to prevent the corners of 
the port bearing on the bars of the mouth ; the canons 
should be long enough to cover this part. Second, in driv- 
ing bits the port is often made very high in order to get a 
bearing against the roof of the mouth and it is used with a 
tight nose-band. This exaggerated form of mouth-piece is 
brutal, there is no other word to describe it, and any horse 
that cannot be held by a less severe form is unfit for the use 
of the private horse owner. 



COVERING FOR MOUTH-PIECES. 

Soft leather and rubber are employed as coverings to the 
mouth-piece to temper its action. When either material is 



CHEEK-PIE CES. 



253 







Plain Ring. 



Ring with 
Barrel Brace. 



Double or 
Four Ring. 



Double Ring 
with Double 
Mouth-Piece, 




Full. 




Full with 
Barrel Brace. 




Half. 



FIG. 117. 
CHEEK-PIECES. 



254 THE CHEEK-PIECES. 

used it is advisable to have the covering put on after the bit 
has been examined and tested in order that any flaws or 
weakness in the metal may be detected. 



FIG. I I 8. 

Curb driving bits should be preferably made with a square 
opening for a square slide, as it very often happens that a 
horse throwing his head to one side changes the angle of 
the cheek-piece with the curb-chain. The latter is always 
most effectively acted upon when it and the cheek-piece are 
at right angles to each other. 

THE CHEEK-PIECES. 

Cheek-pieces (see Fig. 114 A and Fig. 117) serve two 
purposes: i. To offer a lever by which the port and curb- 
chain are brought into action. 2. To act as guides by their 
pressure against the lips when either rein is drawn ; in the 
latter function the rings of the snaffle must be considered 
as cheek-pieces, and should be large enough to eliminate 
any chance of their being drawn through the mouth. 

The upper arm of the cheek-piece, measured from the 
mouth-piece to the top of the eye, should be two inches long 
in order to prevent the cheek-pieces from being drawn in the 
same plane with the reins ; for should this occur the curb- 
chain would cease to act and the bit become simply a jointed 
snaffle in which the pressure from the reins would be con- 
fined to a direct backward pull. With a fixed length for the 



THE CHOICE OF A BIT. 255 

upper arms of all curb bits, the severity may be increased or 
diminished by lengthening or shortening the lower arms of 
the cheek-pieces. The measurements given of the length 
of the cheek-pieces with sliding mouth-pieces are those made 
from the centre end of the mouth-piece, when the latter is at 
the top of the slide. 

" There is an old idea, still extant with many, that by making the upper 
branch of a bit short, we cause the lower to draw under the chin ; so we 
should if, with a bit an inch and a half long above the mouth-piece, we left 
the curb chain the same length as if the upper branch was an inch longer ; 
but take up the curb chain a couple of links, it would no more draw under 
than the other. And to carry this on, if we only left an inch above and 
pulled the lower branch towards the horse's nostrils, and then curbed him 
up, the curb chain would still keep the bit nearly perpendicular with the 
cleft of the mouth or lips." — Charles Brindley, ^^ Practical Horsemanship,''' 
p. 82. 

THE CHOICE OF A BIT. 

The first consideration, and one that is too frequently 
never thought of, is that a bit should be suitable in form and 
fitted with accuracy to the horse's mouth. No matter how 
well made or of what shape a bit may be, if it does not fit, 
the control of the horse is lessened in proportion to the 
degree the bit is too small or too large. The reputation that 
some men have for " o-ood hands " is due as much to a good 
head in the matter of fitting and adjusting the bit as to any 
especial delicacy in handling the reins. On the subject of 
the form and fitting of a bit the following well known author- 
ity, the Duke of Beaufort, is quoted in substantiation of a 
point upon which it may be thought the writer has laid too 
much stress : 

" The bit must be suited to the horse, and the possessor and driver of 
many horses must, if he wishes to enjoy life, have many bits, some with 



256 THE CHOICE OF A BIT. 

ports, some without. Nine horses out of ten will go pleasantly in a shifting 
bit, which has a smooth side and a rough side to the bar, which also shifts up 
and down for about an inch, and the cheek of which turns so that the smooth 
or rough side can be used." — '■^Driving,''' Badmintofi, p. go. 

The second consideration in the selection of a bit is its 
design. As the purchaser, his coachman and the dealer, in 
all likelihood, know nothing of the character of the horse's 
mouth, the simplest bit should be chosen unless the former 
owner of the horse has recommended some distinct type. 

The common failing of dealers is to offer expensive, fancy 
and severe patterns which serve their purpose in swelling 
the size of the bill for equipment, but under most circum- 
stances such bits are totally unsuited to the horse's mouth. 

The third consideration is that the bit should be of the 
best quality steel, for upon its strength the safety of the 
rider or driver and his control over the horse depend; hence 
all bits should be of the best forged steel. Plated bits, which 
are in high favor with lazy stable servants, are dangerous 
and otherwise objectionable. Flaws in the steel or the in- 
ferior metal of which the bit is made cannot be detected, 
and in cleaning plate, sand cannot be used for scouring 
without removing the plating. In a short time, even when 
merely metal polish is 'used, the plating wears off, the bit 
rusts and has to be discarded. 

For driving a single horse the choice of a Liverpool bit 
with a half rough mouth-piece is advised, unless the horse 
is of the roadster type, for which a plain ring jointed snaffle 
with a half cheek-piece and check bit will be required. For 
a pair the Ashleigh with a half rough mouth-piece is advised ; 
the objection to the Liverpool is that the front part of the 
rings on the inner sides of the reversible pattern with round 



DRIVING BITS— THE SNAFFLE. 



257 



slides are forced against the lips by the diagonal pressure 
of the coupling-reins. In Liverpool bits made with a square 
shaft for the mouth-piece this objectionable feature is in a 
measure overcome, but the draught is not as direct as when 
any of the half ring patterns are used. For riding the plain 
Weymouth with a bridoon is the safest, although a plain 
snafifle with full cheek-pieces is in most cases suiHcient and 
its misuse does not result in such severity to the horse. 





FIG. 119. 



FIG. 120. 





FIG. 12 1. 



FIG. 12 2. 



THE SXAFFLE. 



The simplest of all bits, in use for riding or driving, is 
the plain ring snaffle with a bar or a jointed mouth-piece. 
The rings are either held loosely by the end of the mouth- 
piece being turned over the rings or the latter passed through 



258 DRIVING BITS— THE SNAFFLE. 

holes drilled in the ends of the mouth-piece and the ends 
of the rings welded together. The rings should always be 
large enough to act on the sides of the mouth without slip- 
ping through or giving. 

The measurements of the average size bit of this type are 
as follows : Thickness of mouth-piece at heaviest point one- 
half an inch, at lightest point three-eighths of an inch. Di- 
ameter of rings from outer circumference two and one-half 
inches. Thickness of rings one-fourth of an inch. The 
plain snafifle is distinctly an undress bit, suitable for all 
forms of simple harness, sending horses to the blacksmith 
shop, exercising, rough work, etc. 

The Twisted Snaffle is similar in all respects to the 
simple ring snaffle with the exception that the surface of the 
mouth-piece is twisted instead of being smooth; in conse- 
quence its effect is more severe and should not be used by 
an inexperienced person. 

The Double-Ringed Snaffle is formed by the addition 
of a pair of rings placed around the mouth-piece on the in- 
side of the rings of the ordinary snaffle. To these inner 
rings, which are the same size as the outer ones, the cheek- 
pieces of the bridle should be fastened and the reins to the 
outer ones, and not to both. When the outer rings have 
cheek-pieces the steel of all four rings is usually round, but 
without the cheek-pieces all four rings are generally made flat 
sided. The mouth-piece is the same as that in the simple 
snaffle, the diameter of the rings being about three inches. 
This bit when used by an experienced person is the most 
effective form of the various styles of snaffles. It is appro- 
priate for all kinds of use, except where other designs are 
advocated. 



DRIVING BITS— THE LIVERPOOL. 



259 



THE LIVERPOOL. 

The Liverpool is the most commonly used of all driving 
bits. It consists of a bar mouth-piece, smooth or with a 
half twist, cheek-pieces and rings, through the centre of 
which the cheek-pieces pass and form a part. The mouth- 
piece is fixed, /. e., stationary, sliding or reversible. The 
cheek-pieces are flat, and in the lower arm are two openings 
drilled to receive the billets of the reins. At the ends of the 





FIG. 123. 



upper arms are eyes to which the points of the cheek-pieces 
of the bridle and the curb hooks are attached. The shaft 
for the sliding mouth-piece is made round or square, the 
latter shape prevents the rings from bending in. The meas- 
urements of the average size bit of this type are as follows : 
Diameter of mouth-piece at heaviest point nine-sixteenths of 
an inch. Width of lower arm of cheek-piece eleven-sixteenths 



260 



DRIVING BITS— THE COACHING, ETC. 




of an inch. Thickness of lower arm of cheek-piece one- 
fourth of an inch. Length of lower arm of cheek-piece five 
and one-half inches. Diameter of rings from outer circum- 
ference three and three-eio;hths inches. Thickness of rinsfs 
at thinnest point one-fourth of an inch. 

THE COACHING. 

The Coaching bit is similar m many 
respects to the Liverpool. The dimen- 
sions are about the same. The lower arms 
of the cheek-pieces are bent backwards just 
below the mouth-piece and then down- 
ward, in other respects they are the same 
as those of the Liverpool. The cheeks, to 
which the billets of the reins may be fast- 
ened, are made in a half ring form. The 
mouth-piece is made fixed, reversible or 
sliding; the shafts for the latter are made 
square or round. 

THE ASHI.EIGH. 

The Ashleigh closely resembles the 
coaching ; the points of difference are that 
the upper part of the low^er arm of the 
former is made a trifle longer and has an 
opening for the billet of the reins, and the 
rings of the cheek-pieces are half oval in 
shape. The mouth-piece is made fixed, 
sliding or reversible. 

THE BUXTON. 

The Buxton is the most elaborate of any 
of the many regular patterns of driving bits. 



FIG. 124. 




DRIVING BITS— THE BUXTON. 



261 



The mouth-piece is Hke that of the Liverpool. The upper 
arms of the cheek-pieces are round and terminate in eyes 
to which the points of the ckeek-pieces of the bridle and 
the curb hooks are attached. The lower arms of the cheek- 
pieces form a series of curves as shown in the above illustra- 
tion. The top and bottom necks are round, the middle and 





FIG. 126. 



FIG. 127. 



lower parts are flat and have openings to receive the billets 
of the reins. As a rule the lower opening is made too 
small to receive the ordinary sized billet. (See Fig. 127.) 

The arms of the lower cheek-pieces terminate in a neck 
around which the end of the crossbar works. The rings 
of the cheek-pieces are three-c|uarters round, the ends 
being fastened into the upper and lower arms of the cheek- 
pieces just above and below the mouth-piece. This is 
distinctly a full dress bit and is only suitable for a ladies' 
phaeton, victoria, brougham, park tandem, park coach, etc. 



2G2 



DR/V/XG BITS— THE GIG, ETC. 





THE (\\(\. 
The Gig bit is similar to tlic Buxton witli 
tlic exception tliat tlie lower arms of the 
cheek-pieces and crossbar are straight, and 

(^/T/TA instead of holes being drilled in the lower 
arm there are metal loops on the edge to 
which the billets of the reins niay be at- 
tached. This bit is the type that should be 
used with all forms of gigs, and as it is of a 
very distinctive pattern it should never be 
allowed to take the ])lace of the Buxton for 

Fio. 128. single or pair-horse brougham harness, etc. 

TIIK IIANOVARTAX. 

The Hanovarian bit comprises a stiff 
mouth-piece and flat-sided cheek-pieces, 
terminating in e}"es, to which the curb 
hooks and points of the cheek-pieces of 
the bridle are fastened. Each arm has 
three rein rino-.s, a larire one at the mouth- 
piece and two smaller ones on the lower 
arm of the cheek-pieces. This bit is 
seldom used in a private stable, but is 
favored by hackmen and tradesmen generally. 

rilE HRIDOON. 

The Bridoon is a light form of snaffle used with any of 
the various designs of driving bits. In construction it is not 
unlike the ordinary snaffle. 

In the Pulley-bridoon, pulleys are attached to the rings 
which are inserted in holes drilled through the ends of the 
mouth-piece. The part on which the bearing-rein works 




IIG. 129. 



DRIVING AND CHECK BITS FOR ROADSTERS. 263 

should revolve. Pulleys are generally used on the rings of 
the bridoon, as their use renders the bit less irritating and its 
position in the mouth is not so constantly disturbed. 





FIG. 132. 

FIG. 131. 

DRIVING BITS FOR ROADSTERS. 

The principal type of bit used for roadsters is the half 
cheek jointed snafifle. (See Fig. 134.) The detail of con- 
struction varies to such an extent that it would require sev- 
eral pages for the illustrations of the different forms. A 
check bit is almost invariably used in conjunction with the 
snafifle and its forms are almost as numerous as those of the 
snafifle. Horses with good mouths, used merely for pleasure, 
are usually driven in the type of snafifle and check bit re- 
spectively shown in Figs. 134 and 137. Severer forms of 
bits are shown in Figs. 115 and 135, and one of the designs 
used to prevent a horse from getting his tongue over the 
bit is shown in Fig. 136. 

CHECK BITS FOR ROADSTERS. 

Check bits (see Fig. 137) are usually made with a stiff 
bar mouth-piece. This mouth-piece is made in various 
shapes and is sometimes attached with metal loops to the 
mouth-piece of the snafifle, in order to prevent the pressure 



264 



DRIVING BITS FOR ROADSTERS. 





FIG. 133. 



FIG. 134. 





FIG. 135. 



FIG. i:;6. 





FIG. 137. 



FIG. 138. 



THE CURB-CHAIN, 



265 



of the bearing-reins falling entirely upon the upper 
bars of the mouth. (See Fig. 1 38.) These bits are 
in general use for the trotting type of horse and 
are used in conjuction with a snaffle. 

THE CURB-CHAIN. 

A Curb-Chain consists of a series of links of 
steel made of different sizes and shapes, usually 
single, although sometimes double, and always 
of an odd number, varying between seventeen 
and twenty-three. The links gradually increase 
in size from the ends to the middle, at which 
point of the chains for riding bits a plain round 
ring, at right angles with the links, is fastened to receive the 
lip-strap. The curb-chain for driving bits should not have a 
lip-strap ring. The average length is about ten inches. The 




FIG. 139. 




FIG. 1 40. 



use of the curb-chain is to distribute part of the pressure 
brought upon the bit to the sensitive part of the lower jaw. 
The more numerous the links, the smoother the chain will lie 
on the jaw, and be in consequence less severe than a more 
open or untwisted chain. The curb-chain is attached to 
the eyes of the curb bit by a hook. (See Fig. 139.) 



266 



LEATHER CHEEK-PIECES AND BURRS. 



LEATHER CHEEK-PIECES. 

Leather cheek-pieces are frequently used on horses that 
have the unsightly habit of lolling their tongues out on 
either side of the mouth These cheek-pieces are made 
of a circular piece of leather about three and one-half inches 
in diameter and about three-sixteenths of an inch thick. 
In the centre is a hole three-fourths of an inch in diameter 
from which a slit is made to the outer circumference. The 
cheek-piece is inserted between the horse's mouth and the 
ring of the bit, where it is held in place by passing the 
mouth-piece through the slit to the hole made for it in the 
centre. 




FIG. 141. 
BURRS. 

Burrs are similar to the leather cheek-pieces described 
in the above paragraph, except that the under side of the 
disk is studded with either bristles or metal points. Al- 
though often effective in cases where the plain leather fails, 
they are a source of constant irritation to the horse with a 
tender mouth. 



SNAFFLES AND THE GAG. 267 

SNAFFLES.* 

The Double-Mouth Snaffle is formed by the use of an 
additional mouth-piece with the plain snaffle. The sections 
of these mouth-pieces are of corresponding unequal lengths, 
the short section of one mouth-piece and the long section of 
the other are placed over each other. By this arrangement 
the efficiency of the bit is not minimized by being shifted 
from one side to the other. It is an exceedingly severe bit 
and should be used with the greatest care. 

The Chain Snaffle differs from the plain ring snaffle in 
that the mouth-piece is made of a series of links forming a 
chain. These links are either oblong or of the curb-chain 
pattern. In some designs two chains are used, one above 
the other, for a mouth-piece, or metal balls are linked to- 
gether. This bit can be used to advantage on horses that 
are headstrong and have a tendency to " take hold." The 
severity of the mouth-piece, when made of curb-chain links, 
may be increased by untwisting some or all of the links which 
under ordinary circumstances should lie flat. The harshness 
of the bit may be tempered by covering the mouth-piece with 
leather. 

the gag. 

The Gag snaffle is so constructed that 
the round part of the reins passes through 
a pair of eyes on either side of the bit and 
is attached to the crown-piece of the bridle. 
FIG. 142. When the reins are drawn taut, the bit 

is forced against the corners of the mouth. 

* For description of the simple forms of snaffles see under Driving Bits, pp. 257 and 
258. 




268 RIDING BITS— THE SAW-MOUTH, ETC. 

This form of snaffle is intended to counteract any tendency 
to " bore " and may be used with a single bridle, or as a 
bridoon in conjunction with another bit. The mouth-piece 
is similar to that of the plain snaffle. All four of the eyes 
through which the round leather reins pass lie parallel to 
the mouth-piece. The use of the gag snaffle should be 
avoided by a novice. 

THE SAW-MOUTH. 

The Saw-mouth bridoon is happily a rare form of bit, 
the action of which is exceedingly painful, not to say brutal. 
It is made in two sections joined together in the middle by a 
tongue and socket joint and the outer ends are shaped into 
snap hooks with springs. The concave surface is formed 
into teeth. This bit is attached by means of snap hooks, 
usually to the rings of some form of snaffle. When the reins 
are drawn tight, its effect is not very severe, but when" the 
bit is drawn transversely through the horse's mouth it pro- 
duces very much the same result on the horse's lips that an 
ordinary saw does on a piece of wood. 

THE NEW.MARKET. 

The Newmarket snaffle can hardly be considered a dis- 
tinct form of bit, as its metal part does not differ in any respect 
from the simple snaffle ; yet owing to its efficiency, especially 
with tender mouthed horses, it is of sufficient importance to 
be classed as a distinct style. Its merit lies in an adjustable 
leather nose-band which passes from one ring of the mouth- 
piece to the other over the bridge of the nose. This strap, 
by means of a buckle, is arranged so that the pressure of the 
reins can be distributed between the nose and the bars of 
the mouth or thrown entirely on either one or the other. 



RIDING BITS— THE WEYMOUTH, ETC. 



269 



THE WEYMOUTH. 

The Weymouth is the simplest form of 
a complete curb riding bit. It consists of 
a bar mouth-piece which is usually straight 
or with a Mullen or Cambridge port : the 
cheek-pieces are made with rein rings at 
the lower end and eyes at the upper ends 
to which the points of the cheek-pieces of 
the bridle and the hooks for the curb-chain 
are fastened. In the middle of the lower 
arms of the cheek-pieces of the bit and at 
right angles to the mouth-piece lip-strap 
rings are welded. The mouth-piece is 
made either stationary or sliding; in the 
latter design the ends of the bit slide up 
and down on a thin section of the cheek-piece and are 
given half an inch or more play. Diameter of mouth-piece 
at heaviest point five-eighths of an inch. Length of upper 
arm of cheek-piece from centre of mouth-piece two and one- 
half inches. Length of lower arm measured in the same 
way four and one-half inches. Diameter of cheek-piece at 
thickest point near mouth-piece one-half inch. Diameter of 
openings of rein rings one inch. This bit is the most ser- 
viceable and appropriate of all bits for a double bridle when 
used with a bridoon. 




FIG. 143. 



THE PELHAM. 



The Pelham, which resembles the Weymouth in general 
outlines, is a combination of curb and Bridoon bit. It con- 
sists of a straight bar and cheek-piece with two sets of rings, 
one at the bottom of the cheek-piece and the other, a larger 



270 



RIDING BITS— THE CHIFNEY. 




FIG. 144. 



one, at the mouth-piece. The upper arm 
terminates in an eye which receives the 
billet of the bridle. This bit is used with 
">\hL___x-'^ double reins, one set is attached to the 
large rings near the mouth-piece, and the 
other pair of reins are fastened into the 
rings in the lower part of the arms ; when 
the latter are drawn up they convert the 
bit into a curb. This bit is especially 
suited to horses that carry their heads 
too high. 

THE CHIFNEY. 

The Chifney bit is designed with a view 
to avoiding the downward pressure on the 
head of the horse, which all other forms of 
curb have a tendency to exert. It consists 
of a bar mouth-piece, usually made with a 
port. Near the ends of this mouth-piece the 
cheek-pieces, similar to those of the Wey- 
mouth bit, are inserted through holes drilled 
in the bar and there firmly held in place. 
Short half cheek-pieces, with a collar at the 
lower ends, are riveted on necks made at the 
extreme ends of the mouth-piece, around 
which they freely revolve, and the upper 
ends of these half cheek-pieces are formed 
into eyes by which the bit is attached to the head stall of the 
bridle. This bit is extremely severe, as the entire pressure 
of the reins falls upon the tongue, the bars of the mouth 
and the under jaw at the point touched by the curb-chain. 
The ordinary horseman does not realize in using a curb 




FIG. 145. 



RIDING BITS— THE MOHAWK, BRIDOON, ETC. 271 

that a large proportion of his force is harmlessly borne by 
the poll, i. €., top of the horse's head, and when this power 
is thrown entirely upon the sensitive parts named above, the 
severity of the bit is extreme ; hence it should not be indis- 
criminately used. 

THE MOHAWK. 

The Mohawk is an attachment which is applied to the 
various forms of curb bits for the purpose of increasing their 
severity. It consists of a bit as shown on p. 264, Fig. 137, 
with the addition of hard rubber rollers, see p. 252. The 
ends of the bit are attached to the eyes of the upper arms of 
a curb bit by snap hooks. Although it is considered very 
effective in restraining " a puller," its severity irritates and 
increases the very tendency which its peculiar formation 
enables it to counteract. 

THE BRIDOON. 

The Bridoon is a light form of snaffle 

used with the Weymouth or similar bits. In 

construction it is not unlike the ordinary 

snaffle. In the bridoon, holes are drilled 

through the ends of the mouth-piece, which 

^^'' retain the rings loosely in place or they may 

be held by the turning over of the ends of the mouth-piece 

as in the snafBe. 

THE LIP-STRAP. 

The lip-strap is formed of two narrow strips of leather 
which are looped around the lip-strap rings of the curb and 
after being passed through the pendent ring in the centre of 
the curb-chain, the ends are fastened to a buckle. 




272 



THE CURB-CHAIN. 



" A lip-strap to a bit should never be omitted, if a horse is at all dis- 
posed to catch at his bit, that is, get hold of the branch on his under teeth. 
If he once does this, away he goes, if disposed to do so, for no man could 
hold him." — Charles Brmdley, *'■ Practical Horsemanship,''' p. gj. 

THE CURB-CHAIN. 

The only difference between the curb-chain used for the 
driving bit and that used for the riding bit is that the latter 
is usually made of smaller and lighter links. The pendent 
ring, which is sometimes omitted from the curb-chain of 
the driving bit, should always be on the chains of curb bits 
for riding. 




FIG. 148. 

Amonor the common attachments used to increase the 
driver's or rider's power of restraint over the horse are the 
net and independent nose-band. The former is often at- 
tached to the nose-band and lower branch of the bit, so that 
when the reins are drawn the net compresses the nostrils 
and closes off the horse's "wind." Sometimes the mere 
presence of a net is sufficient to deter a horse from pulling. 
The independent nose-band is merely to afford the restraint 



THE MOUTHING BIT. 



273 



which cannot be obtained with the ordinary nose-band, owing 
to defective construction. 

THE MOUTHING BIT. 

The mouthing bit (see Fig. 149) is a heavy jointed snaffle 
with full cheek -pieces. The two sections of the mouth-piece 
are joined in the centre by a small ring to which a flat plate 
is attached and from the latter three metal keys or drops 
depend. The ends of the mouth-piece near the cheek-pieces 
are made very heavy, about an inch in diameter, and the 




FIG. 149. 

cheek-pieces are long and thick. The object of this form of 
construction is, first, to provide a mouth-piece which will not 
injure the horse's lips; second, by the existence of the keys, 
to divert the animal's attention while the bit is being used ; 
and third, by the length of the cheek-pieces, to prevent the 
bit from beings drawn throus^h the mouth. This form of bit 
is used in colt breaking and in teaching a horse to hold his 
head and neck in a proper position. 



CHAPTER XI. 



WHIPS, ROBES, HORSE CLOTHING, ETC. 

DRIVING AND RIDING WHIPS, COACHING, TANDEM AND HUNTING 

HORNS, DRIVING APRONS, DRESS AND STABLE CLOTHING, 

STABLE REQUISITES, ETC. 

Driving whips are 
of two distinct types. 
I, The straight raw- 
hide or whalebone, 
which is covered with 
cotton, linen, silk or 
gut, and is usually fin- 
ished in black. The 
length varies between 
six feet and seven feet 
six inches. The length 
should be determined 
by the distance the horse or horses are from the carriage. 
The whip used with a single horse is usually about eight or 
ten inches shorter than that for a pair. The hand-piece may 
be plain or ivory with a gilt ferrule. This type of whip is 
the one used for drivino^ roadsters and should be confined to 
such use. 2. The thong (or lash) whip made of a stick of 
natural-colored wood and a thong. This form of whip is the 
one that should be used with all types of heavy harness 
horses and is described in the following paragraphs. 

•274 




THE STICK OF THE LASH WHIP. 275 

THE STICK OF THE LASH WHIP. 

The stick of a single lash, pair-horse, tandem or four-in- 
hand whip is usually made of holly, as yew and blackthorn, 
though tougher, are more apt to warp. The stick should be 
strong without being stiff, and pliable without being weak. 
From the butt to the quill the wood should gradually taper 
and when held at the ferrule {i. e., the metal band above the 
hand-piece) or at the point where the ferrule is usually 
placed the whip should be so nicely balanced that when 
held either above or below this part it feels less handy. For 
all vehicles such as the brougham, etc., to which horses are 
close hitched, the length of the stick should be about five feet 
long measured from the butt to the end of the quill. This 
measurement does not include the sticks of tandem and four- 
in-hand whips. The sticks of whips for phaetons, pair-horse, 
run-abouts and similar carriages should be about five feet six 
inches. 

At one time a craze prevailed for whips with a crooked 
stick in imitation of that of Tom Henessey's famous dog- 
leg coaching whip, but lately there has been a sensible re- 
version to the non-sporting straight stick for non-sporting 
vehicles. Every coachman who considered himself "any- 
thing of a swell " insisted on the use of " a dog-leg,'' no mat- 
ter what type of vehicle he drove. The hand-piece is either 
covered with pigskin, the upper and lower ends of which 
are held by plain metal mounts, or the wood is relieved by 
part of the bark being left. This latter form is called a rab- 
bit-bitten hand-piece. A whip for all driving purposes except- 
ing tandem and four-in-hand may be embellished with as 
many knots on the stick as pleases the owner's fancy ; but 
the appearance of the stick is best when the knots gradually 



276 THE THONG AND POINTS. 

diminish in number and size towards the quill end and are 
evenly distributed. 

THE THONG. 

The thong is made of plaited horsehide and is attached 
to the stick by means of a quill. The length of the thong 
is about three feet eight for a whip used with a single car- 
riage and about ten inches longer when intended for a pair- 
horse vehicle. The quill part should be comparatively short ; 
the whalebone which is used to stiffen the thong at this 
point is bound with black thread. Frank Swales, in his book 
entitled " Driving as I have found It," says, "Coachmen who 
cannot hit a horse effectively with a light whip and without 
being obliged to have the top half whalebone should never 
be allowed to use one, a bale stick or plough handle would 
suit them better." — p. io6. 

" It seems a strange thing when we consider it, that we should take the 
hides of dead horses — the hides upon which the lash may so often have 
descended — to make more lashes to beat more horses." — A. Maudslay, 
" Highways and Horses,'' p. 44. 

" Even when the cattle were good, and but little whip was required, 
thongs soon became rotten from the sweat of the horses and the rain, and 
to avoid the frequent necessity for new ones, what were called * three quar- 
ters and middles ' were made which coachmen were generally able to splice 
on for themselves." — Edward Corbett, " A71 Old Coachman's Chatter," 
p. 124. 

POINTS. 

The point should be made of leather, but very few- 
are. Red, blue, white or other colored whipcord or silk is 
commonly used. If whipcord or silk is used the color 
should be white. The leather point is preferable, but as it 
is plaited to the thong the cost of replacing those which 
have worn out is greater. 



COACHING, TANDEM AND FOUR-IN-HAND WHIPS. 211 

" I do not like the whipcord lashes, neither silk ones ; because they are 
too light and stick when they get wet. I prefer the leather point which is 
sold in England." — Ethuin Hoiuletf, " Driving Lessons,'' p. jj. 

COACHING AND TANDEM WHIPS. 

The most important point in selecting a coach whip is to 
procure one of the right length ; if the whip is not of the 
right length, no matter how good the stick or the thong, you 
are in one way or another badly handicapped at important 
times when its use is necessary. When too long the point 
dangles among the reins and becomes entangled, or if too 
short the leaders go " scot-free " when they should be chas- 
tised. As there is a correct length it is advisable to obtain 
a whip of the right dimensions instead of buying one a little 
shorter or longer. The Wards of England, famous whip 
makers in their day, established the following measurements, 
which hold good at the present time : From the butt of the 
stick to the quill holder, five feet one and one-half inches, 
and the thong from the base of the quill to the end of the 
point twelve feet six inches. In order to facilitate the carry- 
ing of an extra whip the stick is often made with a screw 
joint in the middle and the whip mounted on a board as 
shown in Fig. 150. 

FOUR-IN-HAND WHIPS. 

Some well known coaching authorities are here quoted 
on the subject of the make of a four-in-hand whip : 

" Whips to a four-in-hand coachman are what a good fly-rod is to a 
fisherman ; they should be perfectly balanced, made of well seasoned holly, 
yew or blackthorn (the latter being the most difficult to get), the stick as 
nearly five feet long as possible and the thong ten feet. (If the stick is five 
feet long, nine feet six inches is ample length for the thong.) Indeed ten 
feet I consider better. Double the length of the stick and no whipcord 



278 



COACHING AND TANDEM WHIPS. 



(^l^^lil®G 



r^--^ f%a^xu ii -^— J- 



11 




FIG. 150. 



RIDING WHIPS. 279 

point." — Duke of Beaufort. "The stick should be pHable, not stiff, yet 
strong enough to use in a gale of wind and the thong made of the best 
horsehide to match the weight and the strength of the stick." — Major 
Dixon, '^ Driving,''' p. g8. 

Edward Corbett, in " An Old Coachman's Chatter," makes 
the following remarks on whips : " Some preferred, I think 
most professionals did, a stiff crop and a light thong, but 
others, especially amateurs, were in favor of a supple stick 
with a heavier thong. The latter are no doubt easier to 
manage in a high wind and can also be caught up with 
greater facility ; but in my humble opinion, the former are 
far preferable for general use, a supple stick and a heavy 
thong being insufferable in wet weather." — p. i2j. 

The same writer goes on to say that " In the selection of 
a whip it is easy to observe whether the person selecting is 
an old hand or not. If he is he would pick out a crop with- 
out knots or with as few as possible, whereas the tyro is 
nearly sure to take the knotty one. The large knots, of 
course, tend to keep the thong from slipping down towards 
the hand ; but it ought to be caught tight enough to stay in 
its proper place without them, and sticks always break first 
at the knots." — /. I2j. 

RIDING WHIPS. 

Riding whips may be divided into two classes, the orna- 
mental and useful. The former are usually either bone 
handled with a malacca or bamboo stick, at the end of which 
a loop of buckskin is bound (see Figs. 150 and A, B, 151) or 
a simple bamboo or wangee cane made lighter and shorter 
than a walking stick and with a crook at the end of the 
hand-piece. The whips of a useful order are made of bone 
covered with plaited gut ; the ends may terminate in a loop 



280 



RIDING WHIPS. 




FIG. 151. 



HORNS. 281 

or a point, the latter is more severe, called a " cutting whip." 
The end of the hand-piece of those forms with a loop end 
usually terminate in horn handles, while those with the 
pointed end are generally finished off with a round end with 
a metal button in the centre. (See D, Fig. 151.) 

The metal mounts, whenever used, should be of plain 
silver or brass ; chased metal and ivory handles are on the 
circus order, which should not be trespassed upon. All whips 
should be solid enough to be serviceable and above being 
confounded with toy whips. A lash should only be used 
when the rider has charge of hounds, for which purpose a 
good stout plaited horsehide thong about ten feet long is 
required. 

HORNS. 

" Though the coachmen of old are dead, 
Though the guards are turned to clay, 
You will still remember the yard of tin 
And the Mail of the olden day." 

" The yard of tin " of the olden time has become trans- 
formed into the long, graceful, well-ribbed and melodious 
horn of the present day. The former was more perishable, 
and inferior in every way to the modern copper or brass 
horn. The writer is unable to discover even approximately 
when the coach horn was first introduced, but it is well 
known that at first the guards of the English mails used key 
bugles for the purpose of clearing the roads. These bugles 
were succeeded by the "yard of tin," which was soon dis- 
carded by the fast mail and night coaches in favor of the 
copper or brass horns, and would have long since been for- 
gotten had not its characteristic description been humorously 
or derisively applied to the latter. 



282 



COACHING HORNS. 




I 




D 



COACHING HORNS. 



283 






^mSi 




284 THE COACH AND TANDEM HORN. 

There is hardly any article connected with the stable 
concerning the quality of which there is so little chance of 
going wrong as in the purchase of the coach, tandem or 
huntine horn. The reason of this is that these articles are 
not in general demand and can only be used by those who 
have had much experience and who are at least in part quali- 
fied to distinguish a well made instrument. The result 
is that there is no market for an indifferent and wholesale 
production of ill-made instruments, and hence the limited 
number of horns that find a market usually come from the 
hands of good workmen. 

THE COACH HORN. 

The coach horn is made in three different designs, the 
" Heavy Mail," the "Selby " and the " Beaufort." Of these 
the " Beaufort " is the one most suited for use on the park 
or road coach. It is made of copper in various sizes vary- 
ino- from forty-eight to fifty-four inches in length, the bore 
is very narrow and terminates rather abruptly in a graceful 
"bell." This horn has a detachable German silver mouth- 
piece, long German silver ferrules and is further strength- 
ened by three flat ribs of German silver running lengthwise 
on the outside of the horn. All of the notes required in 
sounding any of the regular " calls " can be made on this 
horn. Extensions, both straight and with one or more 
twists, are made. These attachments give extra notes but 
for ordinary use are not required. 

THE TANDEM HORN. 

The tandem horn is undoubtedly a late imitation in min- 
iature of the coach horn, and owes its origin to the frequent 
necessity the driver of a tandem has to apprise the sleepy 



THE HUNTING HORN. 



2S5 




FIG. 154. 



286 THE HUNTING HORN AND CARRIAGE ROBES. 

teamster or coachman in a crowded thoroughfare that more 
than the ordinary space is required. As these horns are 
much shorter, they are not ribbed like the coach horns, but 
are given the necessary strength in the middle with a long 
German silver ferrule. Tandem horns are smaller but of 
the same general design and construction as the " Beaufort." 
They measure about thirty-two inches in length, and as they 
are harder to blow are often made in two sections and can 
be drawn out or in like a telescope, by the operation of which 
movements additional notes are made. 

THE HUNTING HORN. 

Hunting horns are made of copper and in the form 
shown above in Fig. 154. Their use should be confined to 
the master of hounds or to the person in charge of the 
hounds. 

CARRIAGE ROBES. 

Carriage robes vary so in make, shape and quality that 
it is almost impossible to guide a purchaser by verbal direc- 
tions. There are a few general points which may be of 
some assistance and they are here given. 

The robe, under most conditions, should match the lin- 
ing of that part of the carriage with which it comes in con- 
tact. Dark colors wear better and are consequently more 
economical. The winter cloth robes for a brouoham or 
similar carriage should be lined with a woollen material which 
harmonizes with the outer part, and may be of a solid color 
or a plaid. These heavy robes of the best quality are made 
of box-cloth and lined. The lighter weights for spring and 
summer are made of thinner goods. The size depends en- 
tirely upon the purpose for which the robe is intended. Un- 



DRIVING APRONS. 



287 




FIG. 155. 




FIG. 156. 



288 APRONS AND WATERPROOF COVERINGS. 

less the robe is to be used for driving trips, etc., the addition 
of a flap and pockets at the upper end is a needless extrava- 
gance. At one time silver disks, four inches or more in 
diameter, with the monogram, were placed on the upper 
centre part of the heavy robes, and were considered the 
" proper thing," but they, together with fancy stitching and 
monograms, are now not so generally used, being merely for 
show and rather ostentatious. 

APRONS. 

Aprons must be considered distinct from robes, as the 
former are for the personal use of the owner when driving 
and are cut with a view to rendering them especially con- 
venient under such conditions. Coaching aprons hardly 
reach below the middle of the shin bone. In the waterproof 
patterns there are usually placed loops by means of which 
a strap buckling around the waist is held in place. A very 
serviceable wet weather apron is made of a soft dark water- 
proof material with a woollen lining. 

WATERPROOF COVERINGS. 

Waterproof coverings for horses are made chiefly of 
rubber or mackintosh material and in three forms : (i ) those 
that are cut similar to the ordinary blanket; (2) those which 
are made to extend over the neck ; and (3) those that are 
made in two pieces, one being the same as a blanket and the 
other piece fastened to the crown-piece and covering the 
neck to the withers where it overlaps the body covering. 
All openings through which the harness passes and the straps 
which hold the waterproof in place should be strongly braced 
and bound. The black mackintosh material presents a 
neater appearance than the glossy surface of plain rubber 



WATERPROOF COVERINGS. 



289 




FIG. 157. 




FIG. 158. 



290 



DRESS AND QUARTER BLANKETS. 




FIG. 159. 





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FIG. 160, 



MEASURING DRESS AND QUARTER BLANKETS. 291 



coverings ; the livery and horse waterproof coverings should 
be of the same material. 




FIG. l6l. 

DRESS BLANKET. 

First. Give leiigthfrom A to B, and from E to F, and E to D. 
Second. Give length from A to D and A to C. 

DRESS AND QUARTER BLANKETS. 

Dress blankets when used under the harness are usually 
made either of box-cloth or kersey, and of colors either to 
match the livery or such as those for which the owner may 
have especial preference. Dress blankets are cut somewhat 
smaller than those used in the stable and with cloth or 
leather bound slashes in the sides through which the saddle 
girth passes. 

Quarter blankets are made of box-cloth, kersey or enam- 
elled leather lined with woollen or kersey goods. Those 
made of enamelled leather are more expensive, but being 



292 MEASURING DRESS AND QUARTER BLANKETS. 




FIG. 162. 

DIRECTIONS FOR MEASURING QUARTER BLANKET. 

^^ State if horse is very hollotv backed, or is extra broad across the hips, 
and give his taeight. 

"First. Give length from C [about two inches forward of the saddle^ 
to B [abotit three iiiches forwai-d of the tail), as shoivn in illustration. 

"Second. Give length from D to E, as shown in illustration. Usual 
depth thirty-two inches.'^ 



waterproof they offer more protection in the event of a horse 
being caught out in a shower. The shape in which quarter 
cloths are cut varies from that shown in Fig. 162. Many are 
cut away so as to leave the hip exposed and the stifle 
free, but still protect the loins. If a monogram or any other 
device is placed in the corner of either dress or quarter 
blankets, they should not be more than about five inches in 
diameter, and if of metal they should match the other furni- 
ture. 



BLANKETS. 



293 



.11^ 



> "^f-^' '- -■ am aunt at» «iEii ws isijs ^is Slifi StJS JB!iS iSia ^i »M SEli »» v^ 

' .«;^i;slii:iSSSSigpgSPiigIiliiiili:ieilggi;ii;i 

J m n gg ss 13 gg ^ gs ss gg §s ss >:* is ti ss gg o is gi ii 
^ .,^ Si ii|i§ m ss sg ig It gg gs gg gg gg y gs si gg r " - -" ^^ 

^IHISIS gg gg Bg IS g!;g gg Sg SS J«|i IS y g« IS gg >s ii ii li ii 



- bl-^l r M -4.^J4AJJ, 



g gg §g IS ■■ ■■ ii i§ lOfpfi IS m gg gs gg gs g;g gs gs ss gg ii. 

ill- >'§ i- -'^ B§ ss giggling gs gs gg p gg gs gs gg gg gg gi gg gg:^ 



g SI gg gg sg ss gg gg gg gg gg gg iii m gg Wu gs gg gg gg IS gs gi gsi: 
ggggsgsggnogsgggggsgsgsfssgegggggssiggsgsgggi 

g g[i gg gg gg gp M gg gg g;g gg Hg gi gg ■« gg -ig* in IS gf gi ■» r 



FIG. 163. 




FIG. 1 64. 



294 HORSE CLOTHING— QUALITY, SHAPE AND MAKE. 




FIG. 165. 



HORSE CLOTHING QUALITY. 

Blankets, rollers, hoods, etc., vary so in make, shape and 
quality that only the best of those required are mentioned. 
Weisrht alone in clothing: is not an indication of its warmth. 
Softness is a better proof of quality, and clothing that is made 
of very closely woven material is objectionable as it prevents 
a free circulation of the air around the body, which is always 
desirable. The material of the clothing should be heavy but 
open enough to maintain a uniform temperature by temper- 
ing the air before it reaches the horse, and by retaining to 
some extent the heat given out by the body. 

SHAPE AND MAKE. 

All clothing should be so cut that it is shaped to that 
part of the horse which it covers. Unless this is done the 
clothing will either chafe or present a bad appearance in 



BLANKETS, RUGS AND SHEETS. 



295 



consequence of bulging. In addition to what has been said 
above regarding the quality of the material, the clothing 
should be bound with strong braid or cloth and all stitching 
be even and strong. Some distinctive color or a combination 
of colors in plaid is usually chosen as a " stable color." 



BLANKETS, RUGS AND SHEETS. 



For winter use a day blanket should be of extra heavy 
English kersey. (See Figs. 163 and 164.) Such a blanket for 
a horse of average size should weigh 
about five and a half pounds. For 



night use it is more economical to 



use a rug in place of a blanket. 
One made of woollen goods and 
weighing about seven pounds will 
be sufficient covering except in very 
cold weather, when a lighter blanket 
may be placed under it, or one of 
duck fastened over the rug. The 
duck material, although affording 
additional warmth and protection 
from soiling to the under covering, 
is of too closely woven texture to 
admit of a good circulation to the 
body when used without the more 
open material of the under cover- 
ing. 

For summer the use of a liorht 
serge blanket for the daytime is 
cooler than a linen sheet and offers 
a better protection in the event of 




FIG. 166. 



296 



BLANKETS, RUGS AND SHEETS. 



any sudden changes in temperature. As the night clothing 
becomes more or less soiled a plain white linen sheet is 
advised, as none of those in colored checks can be washed 
without the colors running. The straps which are used for 
fastening the clothing across the breast should be made like 
hame-straps and slits made in the sheets so that the straps 




can be put in or taken out at pleasure. If the straps with 
the buckles and point ends are sewed to the sheets the leather 
becomes hard and rotten after being washed. 

For spring and fall medium weight blankets and rugs 
should be used if the cost of these additional pieces of cloth- 
ing is not too serious an objection. 



DRESS AND EXERCISING CLOTHING. 



297 



DRESS AND EXERCISING CLOTHING. 

A full set of dress clothing consists of, first, a blanket ex- 
tending from the shoulders to the middle of the croup ; the 
material may be either plain or a plaid with a darker or 
lighter binding and a fillet cord which passes around the 




FIG. I 68. 

quarters or is looped to a button at the end of the blanket. 
Second, a pad cloth of the same material and binding as the 
blanket. This cloth is about twelve or fourteen inches wide, 
and extends about the same distance down from the centre of 
the back. Third, the roller, or surcingle (Fig. i66) as it is 
sometimes called, which is heavily padded on the inner side 



298 



COOLERS. 



on that part which bears on the back 
and the outer surface is of webbing 
to match the blanket in color. The 
leather is of double strapping. (Some- 
times a roller cloth similar to the pad 
cloth but smaller is placed under the 
roller in addition to the pad cloth.) 
Fourth, the breast cloth, the upper ends 
of which are cut so that they almost 
reach the withers. The breast cloth is 
held by straps which extend from a point 
over the withers on the blanket, and are 
fastened to buckles on the corners of 
the breast cloth. Fifth, the hood, which 
should be of the full length pattern and 
may be either buttoned or fastened with 
tapes sewed to each side under the jowl 
and windpipe. Sixth, knee boots, the 
fronts of which should be of leather 
and the side pieces of the same cloth as 
that of the clothing. The backs of the 
straps which fasten around the leg above and below the 
knee should be lined with chamois covered pads. (See 
Fig. 169.) 

Fig. 168 shows a horse in a full set of exercising clothing. 
When horses are exercised a breast cloth should be used and 
the blanket should not extend around the breast. 




FIG. 169. 



COOLERS. 



Coolers are laree woollen rus^s used in coolino: off horses 



that return to the stables in a heated condition. 



Such rugs 



HOODS. 



29? 




FIG. 170. 




FIG, 171. 



800 HEAD COLLARS. 

should be large enough to cover a horse from the head to 
the end of the tail and hang down to the knees and hocks. 
It is advisable to have a heavy cooler for winter use and a 
lighter one for summer. 

For description of roller pad and breast cloths, hoods 
and knee boots, see under heading " Dress and Exercising 
Clothing," p. 297. 

HEAD COLLARS. 

Head collars are made of brown leather and should be 
lined and either double or triple stitched. The leather should 
be well seasoned and soft, otherwise the collar will be weak 
and apt to chafe the horse's head. They are made in various 
designs and with plain or buckskin fronts. The style de- 
scribed below is the one that best meets all requirements. The 
cheek-pieces are usually fastened to the nose-band by square 
metal loops. These are not so good as rings, as it is difficult 
to keep the four exposed corners clean. The writer has 
found these places neglected when the round metal joints in 
other parts of the head collar have been carefully cleaned. 
Brass is the metal that should be preferably chosen for the 
loops and buckles of the head collar. 

The head collar used when the horse is being groomed 
is either made of narrow russet leather without a throat 
latch or of white webbing. The writer's preference is for the 
former, as it does not absorb the sweat and may be kept in a 
constant state of cleanliness. 

" If any one who may read this work holds economy worth considera- 
tion, I would suggest to him that ordering his head collars to be made with, 
as it is termed, the flesh side outwards, causes them to wear nearly double 
the time of others." — Charles Brindley, " The Pocket and the Stud,'" p. 66. 



HALTER SHANKS, GROOMING ARTICLES, ETC. 301 
HALTER SHANKS. 

For all conditions leather has been found to be the best 
material to use for fastenino- the horse. Chains last loneer 
but in the event of a horse getting his leg over the fastening 
he is less easily extricated and the chances of being scarred 
or breaking a leg are increased. A plain russet strap meas- 
uring about four feet six in length and an inch and a half 
wide, with a billet at one end and the other tapered down to 
a point is the type advised. 

GROOMING ARTICLES. 

" It is impossible to have the stable operations performed well, nor even 
decently, without good tools and good hands to use them. There should 
be no want of the necessary implements. A bad groom may do without 
many of them because he does not know their use ; but a good groom 
requires brushes, combs, sponges, towels, skins, rubbers, scissors, bandages, 
cloths, pails, forks, brooms, and some other little articles, all which he should 
have, if the horse is to receive all the care and decoration a groom can 
bestow." — John Stewart, " Stable Economy,^'' p. 6j. 

COMBS. 

Mane combs are usually made of bone and in the form 
shown in Fig. 176. 

Currycombs (see Fig. 1 77) should be made of wrought iron 
and the parts strongly riveted together. The ribs should be 
about three quarters of an inch deep and each one made of 
a single thickness of iron. Should the use of the currycomb 
be allowed on the horse it is important that the teeth should 
be dull, as the majority of currycombs are made with teeth 
so sharp that they are liable to injure the skin. At the front 
and back of the comb a rib without teeth is generally fast- 
ened to prevent the teeth of the other ribs from being pressed 



302 



BRUSHES, COMBS AND SPONGES. 




FIG. 172. 




FIG. 173. 




FIG. 176. 



»T»«vvvf/ivvvv>in\T 
FIG. 177. 



SCRAPERS AND BO OF PICKS. 



303 




FIG. 179. 



ill I 




FIG. 1 80. 



FIG. Idl 



FIG. 178. 



304 DANDY AND WATER BRUSHES, ETC. 

into the skin. All of the ribs should be firmly riveted to the 
back of the currycomb. 

Trimming combs are made of brass, steel, rubber or bone 
and the teeth are short and close together. The length of 
the comb varies between six and eight inches. 

BRUSHES. 

All the advice that can be conveyed in writing is so 
slisfht that the writer can offer but little assistance to the 
novice regarding the purchase of these articles, other than 
the advisability of making the first purchase from some well 
known and reliable firm. The comparison that subsequent 
purchases made elsewhere bear to the original articles will 
afford a practical demonstration of what constitutes the 
best. 

Body brushes should be of long, fine and firm bristles 
and the backs made of heavy pieces of leather well stitched 
together. The length of the bristles should be about one 
and one-fourth inches. The back of the brush should meas- 
ure about eight and one-half by five inches and be oval in 
form. 

DANDY AND WATER BRUSHES. 

The difference in the bristles between good and inferior 
brushes is easily detected. The next point in importance is 
to see that the backs of the brushes are strongly fastened on. 
(See Figs. 173 and 175.) 

RUBBING-CLOTHS. 

The regular linen crash rubbing-cloth is the most service- 
able. It measures about two feet four inches in length and 
breadth. A blue or red band extends through the centre and 



CHAMOIS. 



305 



in it is lettered "stable rubber." A liberal number of these 
should be provided as they become readily soiled so that a 
double set is required in order to have clean ones always on 
hand. Six for a single horse or a dozen for three horses 
is sufficient. They cost fifty cents apiece. Rubbers are 
made of other materials such as Turkish stuff, etc., but those 
of linen crash above described are all that is required under 
ordinary conditions. (See Fig. 182.) 




FIG. 152 



CHAMOIS. 

Chamois are judged according to their texture, thickness 
and size, the most common defect is in the variation in thick- 
ness which results in a chamois going to pieces by the giv- 
ing way of the thinnest parts. The degree of evenness in text- 
ure may be seen by holding the chamois up to the light, 
when if there are any thin parts they will show by appearing 
liofhter in color than the thicker ones. 



306 SPONGES, SCRAPERS AND BOOTS. 

SPONGES. 

In selecting a sponge a choice should be made of one 
that is free from large holes and any hard particles and 
which when berkt backward or twisted does not open out. 
The grain should be fine and of a firm but not hard text- 
ure. The size of the sponge should be determined by the 
use for which it is intended, and each sponge should be formed 
by a natural growth and not by the cutting up of a large 
sponge. (See Fig. 174.) 

SCRAPERS. 

Scrapers are made in a variety of forms and of various 
materials. The one that finds the most favor is made of a 
narrow strip of brass with wooden or leather handles at the 
ends. The two other shapes in common use are shown 
in Figs. 178-180. The one illustrated in Fig. 179 is the 
form preferred by the writer, but it is open to greater abuse 
in the hands of a careless or brutal servant than that made 
of a plain strip of brass. 

BOOTS. 

Boots are coverings used on the horse's legs or feet for 
the purpose of protecting the covered part from being in- 
jured by "hitting," "brushing," "speedy cutting," or "inter- 
fering," as the contact of one limb with another is called. 
They are made on two general principles, one as a preventa- 
tive and the other as a protection. The former are designed 
with a projecting attachment which warns the horse when 
he travels too close. The style is shown in Fig. 186. Those 
made for protection are fastened to the leg by straps and 
buckles or with tape according to the material of which the 
boot is made. Hence the uncertainty of the effect of a boot, 



BOOTS. 



307 





FIG. 183. 



FIG. i; 





FIG. 185. 



FIG. 186. 



308 



BOOTS. 




FIG. 187. 




FIG. I 





FIG. 189. 



FIG. 190. 



CRADLES. 309 

one horse often being prevented from hitting by a certain 
type which is ineffective when appHed to a horse that ap- 
parently interferes in the same manner. An almost endless 
number of forms have been devised to satisfy the theories 
of horse owners. . The three most common types of protec- 
tive boot are shown in Figs. 183, 184, 187. All boots of this 
stamp should be so fitted and padded that they will remain 
in the exact place where it is thought the protection is 
required. 

In addition to the boots used on the horse when in 
action there are several types which it has been found nec- 
essary to use on horses that, in consequence of defective 
conformation or through habit, injure themselves when stand- 
ing in the stall. The most common form of stable boot 
called the calking boot is made of several plies of heavy 
leather cut in the form of a disk about ten inches in diame- 
ter. (See Fig. 189.) The use of this boot is to prevent the 
horse from standing with the heels of one hind foot on the 
hoof of the other. The second type is one that completely 
covers the hoof and is used to prevent the covered part from 
being injured by the iron prongs of shoes that have been 
sharpened to prevent the horse from slipping on the snow 
and ice. (See Fig. 188.) Another form of boot often re- 
quired to prevent a horse from causing a boil to develop in 
consequence of the pressure of the heels of the shoe on the 
elbow is shown in Fig. 190. 

CRADLES. 

Cradles (see Fig. 191) are used to prevent the horse from 
turning his head in an attempt to tear the blanket or remove 
some irritating application. Almost the same restraint can 



310 



MUZZLES, FORKS AND BANDAGES. 




be imposed by attaching a broom handle cut so that one end 
may be fastened to the side of the roller and the other to 
the side of the nose-band. 

MUZZLES. 

One or more muzzles will be required from time to time 
according to the number of horses. The best muzzles are 
made of heavy leather and the bottoms lined with zinc. 
There should be small holes in the sides and bottom. 

FORKS. 

Forks used about the stalls should be of wood, either 
hickory or ash. As the forks are apt to be carelessly 
handled, the steel ones should be limited to use in the hay 
loft or manure pit. 

BANDAGES. 

For description see under Bandaging in Chapter XVI. 



FORKS. 



311 



FIG. 192. 



FIG. 193. 



312 COST. 



COST. 



For prices of dressings, compositions etc., see tabulated 
list in Chapter III, Expenses. 

Straight roadster whip about . $i.oo to $5.00 

Single or pair-horse holly whip from 3.50 to 15,00 

Tandem or four-in-hand whip about 5.00 to 15.00 

Jointed tandem or four-in-hand whip about i5-oo to 28.00 

Riding whip with bamboo stick and bone handle about . 5.00 

Cutting whip with plaited gut covering about .... 3.50 

Coaching horn about . . , , 20.00 

Tanden horn about 15.00 

Hunting horn about 5.00 

Box-cloth carriage robe ab ut 35-oo 

Lighter material robe about 18.00 

Driving apron 8.00 

Box seat aprons 45 -oo 

Waterproof covering for the horse 11 .00 

Dress blanket i5-oo 

Quarter blanket 15.00 

Winter blanket 7.50 

Summer blanket 3.50 

Spring blanket 4.50 

Night rugs, heavy weight, about 7.50 

Night rugs, light weight, about 3.50 

Canvas blanket about 2.50 

Linen sheet about 1.50 

Suit of dress stable clothing about . 30.00 

Cooler, heavy weight, about 5.00 

Cooler, light weight, about . 3.50 

Head collar 3.00 

Halter shank i.oo 



CHAPTER XII. 

STABLE SERVANTS. 

CHARACTER, EDUCATION, TYPES, WAGES, MEANS OF 
OBTAINING, ETC. 

Coachmen and grooms do not 
form a class from which angels are 
exclusively chosen, and there is no 
harder task in the establishment of 
a stable, nor one which is so seldom 
productive of success, as the en- 
deavor to find a competent and 
reliable coachman or groom. So 
much depends upon the good luck 
of the first venture that the author 
enjoins the novice to avoid a hasty 
decision. The temptation to take 
ij]^ an applicant of mediocre accom- 
plishments increases with each suc- 
ceeding interview with an absolutely 
worthless servant or by the alluring 
assurance of a self-appointed paragon of perfection, that his 
services are being sought by several prominent owners. 

Good men are not to be found at all times, " which goes 
without saying," the reader may remark, yet he or she, if 
requiring the services of a coachman, is surprised or dis- 
couraged in not being able to find a good one at once, or 
goes to the other extreme of placing implicit confidence in 

313 




314 OWNERS AT FAULT. 

an untried servant. On the other hand, there are men who 
are all that can be desired, but they, as a rule, command 
high wages and seek situations where they are afforded 
every opportunity of thoroughly performing their vocation. 
Should the reader have the good fortune to find a man of 
this stamp, be fair in his treatment, encourage him with praise 
when it is deserved, and do not begrudge him the requisites 
for doing his work nor blame him if the horses, harness and 
carriage are not cleaned by seven in the morning when he 
has been kept up until after midnight. 

Owners of experience have found that good foreign ser- 
vants are better than the democratic born talent, and a tyro 
will save himself much needless expense and annoyance if he 
places a highly recommended and trained English servant in 
charge of what he desires to be a well appointed establish- 
ment. It is impossible at the present day for the average 
native stable servant to obtain the training and experience 
which is necessary in the production of a competent and well 
educated coachman. The exception to this general rule is in 
those men whose position is limited to the care of the trotting 
horse, and in the discharge of these duties a well trained 
native servant is unexcelled. 

OWNERS AT FAULT. 

In this country, owing to a general ignorance of the qual- 
ifications required for fulfilling the position of a coachman, 
servants are employed who have a mere smattering of stable 
knowledofc. The averao;e so-called coachman is a man who 
has had no training and only sufficient experience to enable 
him to put the parts of a turn-out together so that it can 
move. The standard of excellence bein^ so low, men will 



OWNERS AT FAULT. 315 

not serve the long apprenticeship which is necessary for those 
who become masters of their calHng. At present the large 
demand for stable servants who can lay claim to any prior 
experience with horses offers opportunities for haw-bucks 
and strappers to command wages to which only men of ability 
should be entitled. As long' as the master remains ignorant, 
the servant will continue incompetent ; the task of raising the 
standard, therefore, falls upon the employer and the period- 
icals devoted to the interests of the horse. 

Mr. F. J. Morgan, writing under the pseudonym of " Pe- 
lagius," expresses himself regarding the inability of the aver- 
age coachman as follows : 

" A profession, it appears to me, requiring no previous knowledge or 
education or recommendation as to capability, A man has only to put on a 
pair of tight trousers, touch his hat quickly every time he is spoken to, and 
he is able to get a situation. Ladies especially are apt to waive taking up a 
character if any difficulties are put in their way, such as * their late master 
being abroad,' etc., providing the man is clean in appearance and civil 
spoken. ... In nine cases out of ten of the carriages we see the horses are 
wrongly put to. Either their traces want taking up or letting out a hole or 
two. The bearing-rein is too short and the crupper too long, bringing the 
pad halfway up the horse's neck ; or you see the pole pieces too short, 
bringing the points of the shoulders against the pole, which soon makes 
them sore and then the horses pull away from each other. This bad habit 
is always caused, in the first onset, by stupidity and want of common sense. 
I don't think there is one man or woman in forty who keeps a carriage 
who would get into it if he or she were aware of the ignorance of their 
coachmen and the consequent number of risks taken in each drive. The 
* confidence trick gentleman ' is always severely dealt with, but he is not 
nearly so dangerous a person as a coachman who knows nothing of his 
profession. To be a coachman it is not only necessary that he should have 
sufficient sagacity to steer clear of anything passing. This part of the per- 
formance is merely instinct, such as one pig would display if he met another 
pig." — " How to buy a Horse,''' p. dy. 



316 



BAD TRAITS AND EDUCATION. 



BAD TRAITS. 

Certain objectionable characteristics are found among all 
classes of stable servants. Drunkenness, brutality, moral 
obliquity in its various forms, profanity, laziness, sullenness, 
and bad manners are those most frequently met with, and it 
requires much care and some experience to detect their pres- 
ence before they are actually introduced into your establish- 
ment. 

THE EDUCATION OF A COACHMAN. 

Some idea of the difference between a 
past master of the art and the average 
ploughboy coachman may be drawn from 
a description of what a coachman in the 
highest sense of the word should be, and 
what the few men worthy of the name 
actually are. 

The embryo coachman in the raw 
material of a lad about to learn the rudi- 
ments of stable work must be of the 
proper physique and appearance, amen- 
able to reason, and endowed with an even 
temperament and a brain capable of de- 
velopment. Without such qualifications in a crude shape to 
start with, it is useless for a man to aspire to the dignity of 
a coachman ; he may by perserverance and good character 
become an excellent second-rate man, but never one to reach 
the highest runor of the ladder. 

The coachman's first period of apprenticeship begins 
immediately upon leaving school, although in all likelihood 
if he is "born to his calling" his early childhood and sum- 




THE EDUCATION OF A COACHMAN. 317 

mer vacations will be spent in helping his father or a brother 
in the stable work. By such means he becomes more famil- 
iar with "the ropes" before he has mastered his "speller" 
than is the average self-styled full-fledged coachman. His 
serious regular work begins with the drudgery of building 
and lighting fires at daybreak, beating the blankets, cleaning 
up the stalls and putting things to rights ; he is taught to 
do his work quickly and thoroughly, to carry himself prop- 
erly and to be respectful in manner and speech. 

After two or three years of such service he is taught to 
bed down the stalls and is allowed, in addition to this unin- 
teresting work, the privilege of taking the horses to the 
blacksmith or to exercise. During the latter part of the 
three or four years devoted to these duties he is put on " the 
steels " and rough leather, i. e., the scouring and burnishing 
of bits, etc., and the washing and cleaning of old harness. 
He is next advanced to the feeding, blanketing, bandaging, 
and grooming of the horses. It is usually toward the end 
of this period that he begins the washing of carriages and 
makes his initial appearance in livery as carriage groom. 

From this time on the rapidity of his advancement is 
dependent upon his dexterity, degree of observation and 
aptitude. He has now to learn how to clean fine harness, 
livery and robes, trim manes and tails, to properly " put to " 
from one to four horses, to drive any of that number in a 
workmanlike manner and to act as under-coachman. After 
four years thus spent under the discipline of a master of the 
art he seeks a position where he can think for himself, i. e., 
use the knowledge he has acquired which is shown in the 
judgment he uses regarding the amount and kind of food 
necessary to keep the horses in the pink of condition, the 



318 COMPETENT AND INCOMPETENT SERVANTS. 

varying of the blanketing according to the changing tem- 
perature, the inspection of the shoeing, the fitting of the 
harness, the thorough performance of the work by the under- 
men, the fulfilment of his duties on the box, the keeping of 
the stable accounts and in maintaining a high standard of 
excellence throughout the establishment. 

" The gentleman's coachman is not the same being in the city that he 
appears in the country. In the crowded streets of large towns he should 
have nothing to learn. Skill in driving is his most essential qualification. 
Sobriety stands next, and after that, experience in the stable management 
of his horses. He should be careful at all times ; cool when accidents hap- 
pen ; kind to his horses ; active, robust, good looking ; of a mature age ; 
not disposed to sleep on the box, nor too fond of company. He should be 
punctual to a moment ; always ready, indeed, an hour before he is wanted. 
He should have a religious regard to cleanliness. It should be his pride to 
excel others, and to have everything in the most exact order. Nothing looks 
worse than a slovenly, ill-appointed coachman. He should have none of 
the indecent slang so common among worthless stablemen." — John 
Stewart, " Stable Economy,''' p. 6g. 

WORK OF COMPETENT AND INCOMPETENT SERVANTS 
COMPARED. 

The contrast is apparent at once between the manage- 
ment of a stable with a capable man in charge compared 
with one where the responsible position is filled by an infe- 
rior servant. If the owner of a well conducted establish- 
ment makes a tour of inspection at six o'clock in the morn- 
ing he will not discover the stable locked up, the servants 
asleep, or the horses penned up in a close unventilated 
apartment; instead, he finds the day's work begun, the doors 
and windows thrown open and the horses enjoying a feed 
of hay, after a comfortable night's rest in a good atmosphere. 
Moreover, the daily work is begun and done with regularity 



C OMPE TENT AND JNC OMPE TENT SEE VANTS. 3 1 9 

and promptness, the night blankets are beaten and aired, 
sponges and brushes placed in the sunshine to dry, the day 
blankets and head collars put on, the brow-bands freshly 
pipe-clayed, and the metal parts polished. By half past 
eight or nine the stable is all "set fair" for the day, the 
horses given an amount of food proportionate with the 
amount of work they are called upon to perform, and later 
in the morning, if there are no orders for the day, they are 
exercised. The bandages and rubbing-cloths are then 
washed and hung out to dry, the stable tools cleaned, and 
the grounds about the stable put in order. 

Now let it be supposed that an order is given for the 
brougham and pair with two men on the box at one o'clock. 
The horses are fed at eleven instead of twelve, the carriage 
is run into place and dusted, the livery is got ready. At 
twelve the servants go to their dinner; they return at twenty 
minutes past and the groom harnesses the horses, while the 
coachman dons his livery, with the exception of his body 
coat and hat. He then appears with his clothes protected 
by an apron and puts the horses in while the groom is dress- 
ing, and at five minutes to one the trap draws up at the 
owner's door. 

It all seems very simple, it is only what might be expected, 
and there appears to be no reason why it should be other- 
wise ; however, with bad management the result would not 
have been the same. The order in all likelihood would have 
been misunderstood, the horses watered and fed just before 
going out, the groom thoughtlessly sent off on some errand, 
the livery hurriedly jumped into and the turn-out twenty 
minutes late in making its appearance ; for which last fault, 
resultins^ in the mistress beino- forced to take a cab in order 



320 



COMPETENT AND INCOMPETENT SERVANTS. 



to be in time for a luncheon engagement, the master accepts 
some lame excuse in reply to his remonstrance. 

The finished coachman does not talk to the groom on 
the box, but keeps him at all times up to his duties. In 
stopping before a house or shop he gradually lessens the 
speed of the horses and draws up and starts with the great- 
est care ; he takes the precaution to be within hailing dis- 
tance when his master or mistress are calling or shopping or 
when leaving them at some new house where a mistake in 
the number or street may have been made. Upon return- 
ing to the stable the horses are thoroughly groomed and 
blanketed, the carriage and harness cleaned and the regu- 
lar evening work completed. 

Again all this part of the 
work is usually very differently 
conducted by the jack-of-all- 
trades coachman who takes ad- 
vantage of the opportunity 
while out to gaze into the shop 
windows, recognize cab-driver 
acquaintances and carry on a 
humorous conversation with 
his companion on the box. 
The carriage bounds from rut 
to rut, curbstones are scraped 
in rounding corners, and the 
~ stop at the desired destination 

is made with an abruptness that sends the turn-out and its 
occupants into "pie," as the printers term a state of chaos. 
By chance the owner has made a mistake in the number of 
the house, but by the time it is discovered the equipage is 




PERSONAL APPEARANCE. 321 

on its way back to the stable, the coachman and groom 
smoking or joking. On arriving home the horses are 
" sHpped out" of their harness, run, hot and dirty, into their 
stalls, the carriage and harness hastily sponged over, a feed 
of oats tossed into the mangers, and the servants are off for 
the night. 

PERSONAL APPEARANCE. 

Those stable servants whose duties require them to appear 
in livery should not be abnormally large, small, dispropor- 
tionately built or in any other way conspicuous. Coachmen 
and grooms who are round shouldered, crane-necked, or 
gawky in carriage or movements mar the symmetry of an other- 
wise well appointed trap. A coachman should be between 
five feet seven and a half and five feet eleven, and weieh 
from one hundred and forty to one hundred and seventy 
pounds. The groom should be shorter and of lighter build 
than the coachman. Men, called coachmen, are frequently 
seen indulging in some form of hirsute luxury, such as a flow- 
ing beard and waxed mustache, or dangling locks. The objec- 
tions to such vanities are thoroughly justified by all the laws 
of cleanliness. Go to the stable when the horses are beine 
groomed and notice the dirt with which the air is filled, 
and it is at once evident that the cleaner shaven a man is 
the better ; moreover, a servant cannot appear as neat and 
trim when wearing a beard or mustache as he can without 
these facial decorations. Both coachman and groom should 
be clean shaven as to chin and upper lip. The carriage 
and pad groom should always be smaller than the coachman 
and both men of about the same type, so that no difference 
in the shape of the livery is' necessary. As the duties of 



322 TYPES OF STABLE SERVANTS. 

these servants bring them in contact with ladies, it is abso- 
lutely necessary that they should be neat in appearance, 
respectful, obedient and thoughtful. 

The men who choose the position of coachman or 
groom as a means of earning their livelihood should cheer- 
fully accept all the conditions demanded by either vocation. 
They should obey without demurring, be respectful, endeavor 
to oblige by attentions, and be sober and honest to an ex- 
tent that will warrant the fullest confidence of those whom 
they serve. A coachman who understands his work thor- 
oughly and can offer these personal qualifications will al- 
ways be able to secure a situation where his merits will be 
appreciated. But the life of those men who fall short of 
these requirements is one of uncertainty, a mixture of hard- 
ships and idleness. 

" There are several kinds of stable servants. There are coachmen, 
grooms, hunting-grooms, training-grooms, head-grooms, head-lads, boys, 
strappers, ostlers, carters, and many more of smaller note. Taken alto- 
gether, they form a class which cannot be easily described. Some of them 
are very decent men, filling their station with respectability ; and often 
at the close of a long and useful servitude, receiving the approbation and 
reward which their conduct deserves. Some are humane to their horses, 
dutiful, careful and vigilant ; many know their business well, and are able 
to teach it so admirably, that I have often thought it a pity there should be 
no school where these men might practically instruct others." — John 
Steivart, '■^Stable Economy,''' p. 6/. 

TYPES OF STABLE SERVANTS. 

Stable servants, especially coachmen, may be divided 
into four distinct classes, according to their ability and char- 
acter. The line of demarcation separating these classes is 
not very clearly defined, but the representative characters 
from each exhibit a strong contrast. 




HEAD LAD IN STABLE CLOTHES. 



TYPES OF STABLE SERVANTS. 323 

The lowest order is made up of " green hands " (men 
who have Httle or no experience with horses); "jack of all 
trades, masters of none," and men other than coachmen who 
are out of work and seek any kind of employment. Men of 
this stamp will undertake to care for from one to four horses, 
carry wood and coal, wash windows and mow the grass or 
shovel snow. Unless a person has an old horse, harness and 
carriage concerning the care of which he is indifferent and 
chiefly requires some one on the place to do chores, this 
type of stable servant is a petty luxury. Receiving but 
small wages, they care little about thoroughness in the per- 
formance of the work, " so long as they keep out of trouble 
with the boss." With such men in charge a horse, unless 
accustomed to rough treatment or of iron constitution, con- 
tracts cold, gets off his feed, becomes lame and at last breaks 
down, and the carriage and harness likewise find their way 
to destruction. 

Blame is liberally bestowed upon the man-of-all-work, 
whereas he is simply the innocent victim of the owner's mis- 
judgment or ill-advised economy, and for one reason or an- 
other, but generally without any reason whatsoever, the 
master has employed a class of man to perform work which 
demands the intelligence of a brain commanding half again 
or double the sum he is paying. The wages of men of this 
stamp vary from thirty to forty dollars per month. They 
" find themselves," which is the stable vernacular signifying 
that they provide themselves with food and sometimes lodg- 
ing- 

The second of the four divisions into which it has been 
found consistent to divide stable servants is composed of poor 
under-men from private stables, enterprising hack drivers 



324 TYPES OF STABLE SERVANTS. 

and the hapless body of once capable men who, owing to 
drunkenness or some equally serious vice, have fallen from 
grace. 

The members of this class are either unreliable and of 
indifferent habits or careless about their work and appear- 
ance. These are the men who " know it all " and who most 
stubbornly resent any interference. They are the most 
varying in ability and character and are usually of a roving 
disposition, partially enforced by their inability and in some 
measure due to a desire to avoid steady work. Such servants 
are only fit for stables maintained for hard and rough service, 
/. e., station work, etc. Representatives of this class form 
nine tenths of the applicants for places as coachmen or 
grooms, and are the most undesirable, as they are up to all 
the tricks of the trade, — and there are many of them. 
These men ask from forty to fifty dollars a month, but are 
usually willing to take, what they are worth, less. A bed- 
room in the stable or house is expected, but the man pro- 
vides his board. 

The next class, though not the best in point of excellence, 
is the one which the writer strongly advises the reader who 
has in contemplation the possession of from one to three 
horses to draw his servant. These men take situations in 
small stables because through some failing, usually a want of 
executive ability or inexperience, they are incapable of filling 
more responsible positions. It is advisable to guard against 
the commission of oversights resulting from " lack of head " 
by employing a servant so thoroughly trained that he does 
by force of habit what he should be prompted to do by in- 
stinct and judgment. The men of this class are usually 
sober and industrious. They value a good place and often 



TYPES OF STABLE SERVANTS. 325 

make faithful servants, working indirectly for their own inter- 
est through that of their master. 

Although not so thoroughly " up " in the elements of 
style and good form as the highest type of stable servant, 
this stamp of man is familiar with the duties of a well con- 
ducted stable and is capable of directing the work of an 
under-man. Some of the best of this class are thoroughly 
trained, level-headed and observing men who have lately 
emerged from the chrysalis state of second men of large 
establishments. In the matter of appointments such men 
are better informed than the average coachmen of this class. 
Men of the above description have an appearance of intelli- 
gence, frankness and respectability, which is lacking in their 
less favored brethren. Their wages range between fifty 
and sixty dollars per month. They board, but do not lodge 
themselves. 

The fourth class is composed of men who, from possess- 
ing higher mental and moral attainments than \}c\€\x confreres, 
fill the position of head men, whose duty it is to direct the 
management of the stable. As has been stated by many 
writers on the subject, proficient sei-vants, who by early train- 
ing, long experience and a special aptitude have become 
masters in the arts demanded by the requirements of such a 
position, form an exceedingly small percentage of those 
who enroll themselves under the sobriquet of coachmen. 

The nominal duties of this class are the orderino- and 
examination of the quality of the fodder and bedding, the su- 
pervision of the feeding and dieting of the horses, the blanket- 
ing, grooming, harnessing, and the inspection of the condition 
of the carriages, harness and shoeing, receiving the daily 
orders, driving when the owner or his wife uses the carriage, 



326 GROOMS. 

and the care of sick horses, except when the trouble is of a 
serious nature. A position of this kind requires experience, 
judgment, honesty, sobriety, method and tact, a combination 
of faculties and acquirements not frequently met with even in 
much higher walks of life. The desirable men of this class 
are simple, practical and reliable. These men command a 
salary of from sixty to eighty dollars per month. They 
board but do not lodge themselves, and expect to be provided 
with coal and light or its equivalent in money. 

Flying the same flag, but totally unworthy of their colors, 
is as worthless a set of arrant rascals as ever drew the breath 
of life. They usually possess or profess to be blessed with 
high sounding aristocratic names, moreover they are as 
arrogant and lazy as they are often able men whose worth 
has been destroyed by drink or the perverted belief that they 
belong to the favored class which was born to rule. Besides 
being lazy they are overbearing with the men under them, 
and depend largely on the fact of having been at one time in 
a nobleman's or very rich gentleman's stable for the consid- 
eration and admiration they endeavor to command. These 
worthless and discarded servants of sumptuous establish- 
ments are expensive and demoralizing supernumeraries to any 
stable, as they are expert extortionists of bribes and com- 
missions, and set an example in manners and dissipating 
propensities which cannot fail to have an evil effect on the 
other employees of the stable. 

GROOMS. 

Grooms are drawn from a class formed by men who are 
learning their vocation and by those whose march toward a 
higher goal has been interrupted or terminated in conse- 



BOYS— MEANS OF OBTAINING. 327 

quence of some mental, moral or physical failing. As the 
work for which this class of man is required demands strength 
and strict obedience to orders, young men should be chosen 
in preference to old ones, especially in cases where the under- 
man is employed as carriage or pad groom. The wages of 
grooms vary between twenty-five and forty-five dollars per 
month, according to their ability and personal appearance. 
They board but do not lodge themselves. 

BOYS. 

Regarding the employment of boys, Charles Brindley in 
the "Pocket and the Stud," p. 75, says: 

" The instant a boy is trusted alone, it matters not whether he be heir of 
the family, or the fag of the stables, he is safe to be in some mischief, and 
woe to the animal under his control. To tease and, in a certain degree, to 
torture animals is the delight of most of them. I know of few animals more 
annoyed than the pony of one of these young imps, apparently fond of the 
animal as he may appear to be. Keep a pony for mamma's darling, if you 
like, but in mercy's name never trust the animal to the boy's sole control. 
. . . Let me, therefore, especially guard persons against employing boys in 
any capacity about horses in situations where they cannot be narrowly 
watched. Boys are as artful as men, and may appear steady and disinclined 
to mischief; but this one thing is certain — nothing but absolute dread, and 
constant watching into the bargain, will keep them from it." 

MEANS OF OBTAINING. 

The channels through which stable servants can be ob- 
tained are more numerous than, at first thought, might be 
supposed : " Situations wanted " columns of daily papers and 
sporting periodicals, intelligence offices, industrial bureaus, 
religious unions, carriage and harness stores, and through 
other owners and coachmen. The best men the writer has 
had in his stable were obtained through other good men. 



328 FORM OF INTELLIGENT REPLY, 

Coachmen are likely to have friends of similar character, and 
a good servant will only recommend those men of whom he 
is willing to assume the sponsorship. When coachmen and 
grooms are procured through advertisements, much time and 
annoyance can be saved by the use of a postal card in the 
following manner: 

To A B, care of Daily ^ * 
Please reply to the following questions in a sealed enve- 
lope, directed to the above address (a personal application 
will receive no attention) : i, name ; 2, address ; 3, age ; 4, na- 
tionality ; 5, married or single ; 6, amount of wages expected ; 
7, name and address of last employer. Enclose photograph. 
The position to be filled is that of coachman (or groom, 
as the case may be). One night off every week or afternoon 
and evening off every other week. The work begins sharp 
at 6 A. M. No commissions. The position can only be held 
by a thoroughly trained, reliable, willing and sober man. 

FORM OF INTELLIGENT REPLY. 

Newport, Aug. * 189 * 
Dear Sir: 

In reply to your questions received to-day, I beg to 
state : 

1. Name, * * * 

2. Address, * West * St., New York City. 

3. Age, forty years. 

4. Nationality, English. 

5. Married, two children. 

6. Amount of wages expected, $60 per month, house, coal 
and light. 

7. Name and address of last employer, ^ * * 



METHOD OF ENGAGING. 329 

Please find photograph enclosed as requested. In the 

event of being engaged by you, I should like to know if there 

is any public school convenient for my children. I am, 

Yours respectfully, 

* * -x- 

ENGAGING. 

It is advisable to state that answers to such queries shall 
be sent either to the general post office or to the place of 
business in order to avoid bringing your departing servant 
in direct or indirect contact with applicants for the .position. 
Having received a supply of answers to your postals, from 
those advertising for places or to your own advertisement, 
cull them over, notice how much intelligence or ignorance 
has been shown in answering the questions and let it bear 
much influence in the final decision. Next observe what 
reference for past work and character is given in a personal 
letter from the last employer to yourself, not in the thumbed 
note carried by the applicant. 

The method of engaging a servant from industrial bureaus, 
etc., is by personal interview when the arrangements regarding 
wages expected, and so forth, may be made. A personal 
recommendation from the last employer should be obtained. 
The borrowing or exchange of references is not uncommon. 

The objection to engaging a man through a harness 
dealer or carriage manufacturer is that a certain amount of 
indebtedness is thereby established which the servant endeav- 
ors to pay off by directing your "business " into the hands 
of the dealer. 

If an advertisement is inserted in a paper for a coach- 
man or groom, it should be worded as follows, so that worth- 
less servants will not apply for the position. 



330 REFERENCES. 

Coachman (or groom) Wanted — Place can only be held 
by a thoroughly trained, reliable, willing and sober man. No 
commissions. Work begins at 6 a. m. sharp. One night off 
every week, or an afternoon and evening every other week. 
Reply to the following questions in a sealed envelope, ad- 
dressed to * * * (a personal application will receive 
no attention). 

1. Name. 

2. Address. 
3- Age. 

4. Nationality. 

5. Married or single. 

6. Amount of wages expected. 

7. Name and address of last employer. 

REFERENCES. 

The written recommendations presented by many men 
are of but little value, and implicit confidence should not be 
placed in the contents for the following reasons. 

An employer often, to avoid trouble, gives a man a few 
lines in which no mention is made of the cause of his dis- 
missal, as for instance : 

New York City, 
January * 18 * 
This is to certify that J * * Smith has been in my 
employ for two years. He is a hard worker and quick. 

J * * Jones. 

It might have been added, had J * * Jones been quite 
frank and fair to his brother employers, 'that J * ^'' Smith was 
an inveterate drunkard, and was summarily dismissed for up- 
setting, while in a state of intoxication, a carriage. 



REFERENCES. 331 

Another form of recommendation which, at first sight, 
appears to be the certificate of a saint, reads as follows: 

Newport, R. I., 

* * Villa. 
R * * Harcourt has been in m}^ service for three 
months as head coachman. He is sober, respectful, an ex- 
cellent driver, and kind to his horses. He is leaving to 
return and care for an invalid mother in England. 

Mrs. M * ^ Smith. 
30th August, 18 '^ 

These words of undeserved praise were written by a lady, 
who, shortly after the departure of the worthy R * * Har- 
court, discovered that the poor invalid mother was likely to 
acquire some silverware and a few knickknacks belonging to 
the villa. It will, therefore, be seen that little confidence 
can be placed in written testimonials unless they are trans- 
mitted direct from employer to employer. Then, again, much 
depends upon your and the last employer's standard of ex- 
cellence. Mr. Brown may be satisfied with very inferior 
work ; on the other hand he may be over-fastidious, or, as is 
more likely the case, incapable of passing a fair criticism. 

The usual form of reference for a good servant, if one is 
given in writing, is as follows : 

New York City, 
February 3, 1899. 

John * * * has been "in my service for three years. He 
is a competent groom (or coachman), honest, sober and 
obliging. He is a careful driver (or understands the duties 
of a second man on the box and in the stable). 

He leaves for no fault, and I heartily recommend him to 
any one desiring the services of a well trained servant. 



332 ALLOWANCE FOR BOARD, LAUNDRY, ETC. 

If a servant has any fault it should be distinctly men- 
tioned, no matter how much your man protests. 

ALLOWANCE FOR BOARD. 

The actual cost of Q-ood board is from fifteen to eighteen 
dollars per month ; in large cities and in fashionable summer 
resorts the charge varies between that sum and twenty dol- 
lars. The advisability, from an economical standpoint, of 
boarding servants in the house depends largely upon what 
scale the culinary department is conducted. If the affairs 
below stairs are managed frugally it costs a little less than 
fifteen dollars to board each man, but on the other hand, 
when such matters are not determined daily by the house- 
wife, the cost of boarding each man will be rather over than 
under twenty dollars per month; and when such is the case, 
it is obviously to the advantage of the master to allow each 
servant from fifteen to twenty dollars extra and have them 
board themselves. 

ALLOWANCE FOR LAUNDRY. 

The expense of the weekly washing of livery collars, 
cravats, towels, and bed linen should be defrayed by the em- 
ployer. Four collars, three cravats, three towels and one set 
of bed linen is a fair average. 

- BOARD WAGES. 

An owner when going away from home for three months 
or more frequently keeps his stable servants on board wages 
instead of discharging them. Under such circumstances it 
is customary to allow each man from fifteen to twenty dollars 
per month, according to what he has been receiving for his 
board, and the privilege of lodging in the stable. The ser- 



ENGAGING. 333 

vant is not expected to do any regular work and is given 
permission to take a temporary place. To insure the ser- 
v^ant's return these wages should not be paid in advance or at 
the end of each month, but when the servant is taken into 
active service again. Thrifty men always have enough laid 
by to provide for themselves when on board wages. 

ENGAGING. 

If an applicant presents himself to you in the city and is 
thoroughly familiar with the different districts but has been 
rusticating, or is "just over from the other side," there is a 
possibility that through some fault he has gravitated to the 
bottom of the ranks and has been driven to the country or 
to misrepresentation through unsuccessful competition with 
more desirable members of the fraternity, or it may be he has 
taken a place out of town in order to work up a lost character. 
There can be no hard and fast rules laid down, and it is very 
likely that a worthy servant can be recruited from the sub- 
urbs or country; in fact such servants, if recommended by 
owners whose stables are well conducted, are more desirable 
than city men of equal ability but of greater pretensions. 

If a man's character is well indorsed by his former em- 
ployer, and he appears honest in face, neat in his dress, 
respectful and straightforward in his address and looks you 
straight in the eye, a difficult ordeal for a scamp, he has 
much to recommend him to your consideratioli. A good 
man should touch his hat when coming into your presence, 
stand erect, with his hands loosely hanging at his sides, 
while you are talking to him. Some men, but not well 
trained nor respectful ones, will poke both hands down into 
the depths of their trousers pockets or seat themselves and 



334 ON TRIAL. 

try to tell you the story of their lives. Then again there is 
the haughty specimen who would not think of doing this or 
that in the stable. Cut these men off by saying that they 
have not the qualifications for the position. 

If you have sent for a man to come to you, reimburse him 
for whatever reasonable expenses he has incurred, such as 
car fare, railroad fare, etc.; but when a man learns that you 
are lookinQ^ for a coachman and comes of his own free will 
and accord he has no claim on you whatsoever, nor is it 
necessary under any circumstances to pay a man for the 
time he has consumed in applying for the position. 

ON TRIAL. 

A servant, having passed these preliminary tests of refer- 
ence and examination, is chosen, with the understanding that 
he comes on a week's trial. Some men object to engaging 
for so short a period, but a good man never should. The 
amount of wages and any extras ought to be distinctly agreed 
upon. When the owner is to provide fuel and light, the 
quantity should not be indefinite, but fixed, as, for instance, 
seventy-five dollars' worth of fuel during one year. When a 
servant comes from a distance it should be understood that 
his return fare will not be paid unless his services are dis- 
pensed with, without fault on his part. (See Articles of 
Agreement, p. 336.) There are certain duties that master 
and servant owe one another. In the first place go with 
the man to the stable, show him the horses, carriages and 
harness. If a horse has any peculiarities mention them and 
state the order in which you desire the work to be done. 
Next, see that the servant is provided with blankets, sheets, 
bureau, washstand, towels, mirror, etc., for his room. 



ON TRIAL. 335 

In order that your servant may become familiar with his 
surroundings and get things in running order, allow a day 
or so to elapse before calling on him to make a formal show- 
inor of what he is worth. The manner in which he takes 
hold of his work, his success in dealing with difificulties, his 
treatment of the horses and the degree of neatness he exhib- 
its will be disclosed immediately, and an experienced owner 
knows, as soon as a man begins grooming, the extent of his 
ability. Should your new man keep his coat or waistcoat on 
when trying to clean your horse, the writer advises the 
reader to quietly look for a coachman, as the man in the 
stable has but little claim to that title. Grooming, if done 
properly, is hard work, and a man who understands his call- 
ing prepares for " a sweat " by changing his ordinary clothes 
for a pair of old trousers and a flannel shirt. 

A fair test of a coachman's ability should be made before 
that functionary is offered an opportunity of proving the 
lack of it by breaking his employer's neck or ruining a fine 
pair of horses and a carriage. Such a test could be made in 
this manner. Have the applicant put together a set of double 
harness that had been entirely taken apart as far as the 
buckles will admit, harness a pair, drive to the owner's 
door and, accompanied by a person who knows how to 
drive, go through a crowded section of the city, making three 
or four stops and turns. On returning to the stable let him 
take the horses out, give them what he considers the neces- 
sary care before putting them back in their stalls, and then 
attend to the livery, robes, carriage and harness. If he is 
unable to put the harness together, sufficient proof is given 
of his inability, notwithstanding he " isn't used to that sort of 
work," or that the harness is not the same as that to which 



336 ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT. 

he has been accustomed. Should the owner be unable to 
obtain the services of a competent judge, the servant's pro- 
ficiency may be determined by comparing his work with the 
description given in subsequent chapters of the proper means 
of performing the duties of a coachman. 

The writer has found that much trouble and annoyance 
have been saved by the use of duplicate Articles of Agree- 
ment, one part of which is here shown : 

ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT. 

" 7;^ the absence of any clear writtefi provisions on the sub- 
ject^ the conditions of pay77tent ajid dismissal are determined 
by the understanding and intent of the parties^ 

I, , agree to faithfully fulfil to 

the best of my ability and to the interest of my employer the duties of 

under the following conditions : To be 

on duty at all times except To begin 

my work daily at a. m. Such work to end under ordinary 

circumstances at p. m. To cheerfully carry out all reasonable 

orders. To refrain from the excessive use of alcoholic stimulants and all 
offensive language. To take no commissions. To give a full month's notice 
of intention to leave, otherwise to forfeit all wages due from last preceding 
pay day. 

To receive in payment for such service $ per month, 

together with good board and lodging, no deductions in which wages are to 
be made during a short period of sickness, in the event of which I am to be 
provided with medical attendance and medicine at the employer's expense. 
To receive a full month's notice or a month's wages, without board or lodg- 
ing, in case my services are dispensed with through no fault of mine. It is 
understood that a violation of any one of the terms of this agreement by cne 
of the parties entitles the other to immediately cancel this agreement upon 
payment of all pecuniary indebtedness up to and including the day contract 
is broken. 



ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT. 



337 



Date of commencement of service 

/ agree to such conditions as I agree to such conditions as 

the above pi'ovisions call up07i the the above provisions call upon the 
employer to fulfil. employee to fulfil. 



Name in full Age 

Nationality Married or single 

Name and address of person to be notified in case of accident or sickness. 



Name and address of last employer 





CHAPTER XIII. 
LIVERY. 

ITS ORIGIN, REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE SHAPE AND MAKE, 
DETAILS DEFINED, AND COST. 

The wearing of livery 
by servants has its origin 
in the ancient custom, in- 
stituted by feudal lords, of 
distributingr to the under- 
chiefs and retainers uni- 
forms bearing some royal 
cognizance in the form of 
a combination of colors or a badge. From the old French 
word livree, meaning the delivery, the term " livery " has 
been taken to signify the uniform given to dependants. The 
apparel of each servant was distinctive and of an elaborate- 
ness which is handed down only in illustrations and theatrical 
representations of bygone days. The form, the color and 
the buttons of liveries intended for the several orders of 
dependants were and are prescribed and cannot be arbi- 
trarily determined by the master. The tendency to ignore 
such long observed laws is happily decreasing in this 
country, as the struggle for the almighty dollar gives place 
to a desire for a more intelligent understanding of the 
details of private life. In costuming servants according 
to the ancient and modern laws governing this subject, 
much latitude is given for the display of individual taste and 

338 



LIVERY MAKERS. 339 

at the same time the master will be spared the humiliation 
of having his ignorance or imposition made known to his 
friends and his servants. 

A careful inspection of the liveries of the best appointed 
turn-outs will reveal to the observer that the uniforms are 
designed after a model chosen by those who have been ac- 
credited the honor of being critics, and accepted by owners 
who conform to the laws governing good taste. 

The reader may feel assured that there is a reason for the 
details prescribed, and it will be noticed that the standard 
calls for nothing unreasonably conspicuous, or what might 
be termed shoddy ; instead it is characterized by simplicity, 
neatness and the exhibition of good material and workman- 
ship. That there are seen liveries of every cut and color 
bedizened with ridiculous embellishments is not due to any 
absence of a desirable rational standard, but to the fact that 
it is not recognized by the average owner, who is too unobserv- 
ing, indifferent, or is carried away by the theatrical effect of 
a court functionary's costume enticingly set forth in some 
fashion plate. As a result, many of the private equipages 
are marked by the gaudy and ill-fitting liveries of the ser- 
vants of untutored masters. 

LIVERY MAKERS. 

The foremost livery makers, besides having made a study 
of the subject, are apprised of any changes or passing fads 
through serving those who judiciously introduce such inno- 
vations. Inferior tailors, on the other hand, finding that a 
large proportion of their customers gladly allow the use of 
braid, fancy buttons, epaulets, etc., to compensate for faulty 
fabrication, employ cheaper and less skilled labor, the prod- 



340 MATERIAL AND COLOR. 

uct of whose handicraft is of constant detriment to tlie influ- 
ence of the underlying principles of an established standard. 
For these reasons it is clearly to the advantage of any owner 
who wishes to have what is right to patronize a tailor who 
furnishes the livery for a customer who costumes his servants 
correctly. The same advice applies to the purchase of mack- 
intoshes, boots, hats, gloves, furs, etc. A good coat maker 
is not invariably a good breeches maker and vice versa ; and 
it is therefore important to patronize a man who succeeds in 
his special branch of livery making. 

MATERIAL. 

All material should be chosen from good stock, not only 
because it lends itself more readily to the hands of the fitter, 
but it retains longer its texture and given shape. Such 
qualities make the purchase of well woven material an econ- 
omy, and if properly fashioned, the livery is a source of sat- 
isfaction to the eye. Box-cloth is used for the greatcoat 
(winter coat) and broadcloth for the body coat (light frock 
coat). Leather, z. ^., buckskin, is the material that should 
be employed in breeches making, in preference to stockinette, 
for reasons subsequently given. 

COLOR. 

The colors of the coats may be black, maroon, dark green, 
dark blue or drab according to the owner's preference. As 
the color of the livery should correspond with that of the box 
seat or vice versa, drab should be avoided. Moreover liver- 
ies made of this shade of cloth are not as simple or neat in 
appearance and become easily soiled. When trousers are 
used they should be of the same color and texture as the 
coat. 



BUTTONS AND THE COACHMAN'S GREATCOAT. 341 
BUTTONS. 

The buttons may be of brass or silver, but should match 
the furniture of the harness. Cloth covered buttons soon 
become shabby. The buttons may be either flat or convex. 
The size of the buttons for the different parts of the livery is 
as follows : 

For the front of the greatcoat i inch in diameter, or 
what is termed a forty line button. 

For the skirt of the greatcoat, i inch in diameter. 

For the front of the body coat, i inch in diameter. 

For the skirt of the body coat, i inch in diameter. 

For the cuffs of the body coat, 5-8 inch or a twenty- 
eischt line button. 

The surface may be plain, or with the crest, monogram 
or badge of the owner. Regarding the use of crests, see 
Chapter II. The buttons on the waistcoat are either the 
same as those used on the sleeves of the body coat or cov- 
ered with the same colored cloth as that of which the waist- 
coat is made. The buttons of the leather breeches below 
the knee are of pearl. The edges are bevelled off. The di- 
ameter is scant 1-2 inch or what is termed twenty-two line; 
the buttons used on stockinette should be of pearl but of 
twenty line. The number and location of the various but- 
tons on the coats are given in the following pages, with the 
description of the different parts of the livery. 

THE coachman's GREATCOAT. 

Double breasted, buttoning close around the neck. 
Length, bottom of skirt i inch below top of boot. 
Width of collar, about 2 inches at the back. 
Double row of buttons in front, six on each side, begin- 



342 THE COACHMAN'S BODY COAT. 

ning just below collar and extending to waist seam 
of skirt. Evenly spaced. The distance between 
buttons across the chest varies according to the 
size of the servant. About 6 1-2 inches is the 
usual distance. The diameter of button, i inch. 

At top of skirt, on the waist seam behind, about 3 1-2 
inches apart, two buttons i inch in diameter. 

At the bottom of skirts 4 inches from the end two 
buttons I inch in diameter. 

Pockets with flaps at each side. Top of flap on line 
with waist seam, from 4 to 4 1-2 inches deep. 

Skirt lined with heavy woollen goods. 

(See plate.) 

THE coachman's BODY COAT. 

Single breasted, opening about 2 1-2 inches from collar. 

Length, bottom of skirt falling to top of knee cap. 

Width of collar, i 3-4 inches at the back. 

Upper slit in sleeves with two buttonholes, not imita- 
tion. 

Under slit in sleeves with two buttons, 5-8 inch in diame- 
ter. 

In front, beginning at the V and extending to waist seam, 
evenly spaced, six buttons, i inch in diameter. 

At the top of the skirt on the waist seam behind about 
3 1-2 inches apart, two buttons i inch in diameter. 

At the bottom of the skirt, i 1-4 inches from the end, two 
buttons I inch in diameter. 

Pockets with flaps 3 1-2 inches deep at each side. Top 
of flap on line with waist seam. 

Skirts lined with white farmer's satin. 

(See plate.) 



THE GROOM'S GREATCOAT, BODY COAT, ETC. 343 
THE groom's greatcoat. 

This coat is made the same as the coachman's greatcoat, 
but with the following slight exceptions: 
No pockets at the sides. 
Length, skirt should extend only to the top button of 

breeches leg. 
Buttons, 3 behind on each skirt, lowest button 4 inches 

from the bottom. 
(See plate.) 

THE groom's body COAT. 

This coat only differs from the coachman's body coat in 
the following respects : 

No pockets at the sides. 

Length, skirt extends only to within about 6 inches 
of the top button of the breeches. 

Buttons, 3 behind on each skirt, lowest button 4 inches 
from the bottom. 

(See plate.) 

The greatcoats and body coats of servants serving in 
attendance together, but neither driving, are usually cut as 
grooms' coats and are the exact counterpart of each other in 
every respect. 

THE PAD groom's COAT. 

The coat of a pad groom, i. e., the servant who accom- 
panies a person on a horse, is the same as that of a groom in 
attendance upon a carriage, with the exception that the body 
is made longer and the skirt only falls to within about 12 
inches of the top button of the breeches. A brown leather 
belt, about 2 1-2 inches wide and fastened with a square bar 
buckle of the same metal as the livery buttons, is worn around 



344 VELVET COLLARS, SHAPE OF BODY COATS. 

the waist. The buckle should be in line with the buttons on 
the front of the coat. 

VELVET COLLARS. 

Velvet collars may be worn on the body coats in place of 
the cloth ones and are usually used for appointment classes. 

SHAPE, ETC., OF BODY COATS. 

The collars of the coats are so cut that they lie almost 
flat on the shoulders and fit smoothly against the edge of the 
waistcoat. 

The cuffs, which are merely indicated by a single line of 
stitching about three inches from the end of the sleeve, are 
for the body coats slit up to that point from the bottom ; and 
the cloth of the upper part of the slit folded over the under. 
There is no slit in the sleeves of the coachman's and groom's 
greatcoat. Velvet, colored cloth or braid cuffs should not be 
used. 

Shoulder knots or other forms of military braid (see Fig. 
194) should not be used. (See Heraldry, Chapter III.) 

The greatcoats of coachman and groom should be made 
with strap seams. 

There are two distinct ways of cutting the skirts of the 
coats. These are known respectively as the close hanging 
and the bell ; the latter is more appropriate for a servant in 
attendance upon a lady's carriage than on any other occasion, 
though they are frequently seen on servants accompanying a 
brougham or similar vehicle. 

There should be placed on the skirts " side edges " which 
appear under each button. " Side edges " are small pieces 
of triangular cloth the base of which is parallel with and fast- 
ened under the outside slit of the skirt. 



LINING AND LENGTH OF THE COATS. 



345 



The object of lining the skirts of the body coat with farm- 
er's satin is to prevent the cloth from coming in contact 
with the paste on the breeches and thus getting soiled. 

The approximate length of the coachman's and groom's 
coats has not been arbitrarily determined by any one individ- 
ual, but by the common sense conclusion of those who have 
given the subject some thought, and who after having tried 





FIG. 194. 



longer and shorter lengths have decided that coats cut as de- 
scribed above are best adapted to the combined requirements 
of service and appearance. That the coat of a coachman 
when driving should be longer than that of the groom is 
based on the argument that the coachman is less active and 
ought to have the greater protection furnished by an addi- 
tional length of skirt. The groom's duties demanding greater 



346 LENGTH OF THE COATS. 

activity, it is evident that he should not be unnecessarily en- 
cumbered. As any great dissimilarity between the length of 
the coachman's and groom's coats is displeasing to the eye, 
the extremes to which the length of either coat should be 
carried is limited. 

Although the measurements for the livery here given are 
in accordance with the recognized standard, the reasons ad- 
vanced for the exact differences in the length of the coach- 
man's and orroom's coats are not sufficient to reconcile the 
writer to an unconditional acceptance of them. That the 
groom's coat should in all instances be short enousfh to en- 
able him to perform his duties without being encumbered, 
yet long enough to give as much protection as is compatible 
with the first consideration, is rational enough ; but to argue 
that the coachman requires more protection because he is 
less active is fallacious, as he is protected by a robe and is 
not exposed to the inclemency of the weather to any such 
decree as is the groom. It therefore seems reasonable to 
suppose that all the practical requirements would be satisfied 
if the groom's coat was made to meet the needs of his posi- 
tion and the coachman's coat cut to correspond, with possibly 
the exception of the side pockets as a mark of distinction. 
Under such conditions there would not be the dissimilarity 
in the number and location of the buttons, nor the necessity 
of another coat when the two servants were in attendance as 
grooms for a coach or mail phaeton, etc. 

Some authorities sanction the use of only five buttons on 
the front of the groom's coat and the placing of the lowest 
skirt button a little distance above the bottom of the coat 
and the middle one equidistant between the other two. The 
argument in favor of this difference is that the groom's coat 



FO O TAIAN ' S LIVER V AND WAISTCOA TS. 347 

is shorter, and for the sake of proportion there should not be 
as many buttons in front, and that by placing the lowest 
skirt button some distance from the bottom an appearance of 
greater length is produced. The writer believes that the 
uneven effect resulting when both men are seated on the box 
more than offsets the claims of those who advocate this dif- 
ference. Moreover, the bodies of the coats are proportion- 
ally the same, the difference is in the skirt. When the 
groom is in attendance alone there is no reason why five 
buttons should not be sufficient if the servant is small. 

footman's livery. 

When the house servant, or footman, accompanies a lady's 
carriage, he should wear his regular livery (see plate), and 
his hat should be the same shape as that worn by the coach- 
man. In winter his greatcoat should fall within about four 
inches of the ground, and his gloves should be the same as 
those worn by the coachman. 

coachman's and groom's waistcoats. 

The canary and black striped waistcoat has long been 
associated with stable servants, and is the one generally used. 
The stripes run horizontally. Other colors usually denote 
household servants, but lately the waistcoats of the livery of 
many of the winning entries in appointment classes have been 
blue and yellow. The material of which the waistcoat is 
made is called Valencia. The collar should be so cut that 
about a quarter of an inch of the waistcoat shows above and 
all around the collar of the body coat. The effect of the 
waistcoat showing is however more satisfactorily produced 
by having a separate strip sewed inside the collar of the body 



348 BREECHES. 

coat, as when thus made an even appearance is always main- 
tained. 

A heavy cloth waistcoat with farmer's satin sleeves, lined 
throughout with flannel and without any collar should be 
worn under the greatcoat in place of the body coat. 

BREECHES. 

Breeches-making, owing to the skill required and the gen- 
eral ignorance of the art, has been made a specialty of by a 
few tailors, who on account of their success in that line have 
found it more profitable than a general trade. Some unprin- 
cipled or over self-confident members of the profession fight 
for a share of the liberal rewards paid for superior workman- 
ship, but the neophyte, unless very "green," will avoid this 
class by learning from a friend or the head man of a well 
appointed stable the address of a competent breeches 
maker. 

Breeches are made of buckskin or of stockinette — the 
latter should always be of secondary choice. The breeches 
should fit snugly above and below the knee, but about the 
joint it is necessary that they should be fuller to allow of free 
use of the limbs. From just below the knee down they 
should be buttoned. This slit should come so that the but- 
tons will lie in the hollow on the outside of the shin bone. 
It is no affectation to button the breeches in front in this 
manner, but a matter of comfort, as any one knows who has 
ever worn badly made riding breeches which brought the 
buttons on the side of the leg where they were pressed into 
the flesh by the top of the boots. This hollow just below the 
knee cap and extending along the outer side of the shin is 
apparently a special provision of nature for the comfort of 




COACHMAN IN STABLE CLOTHES. 



BREECHES. 349 

those who are destined to wear boots and breeches. The 
buttons below the knee should be made of pearl, scant half 
an inch in diameter, or what is technically called twenty-two 
line buttons. The edges of the buttons are bevelled off and 
the centre is concave so as to prevent the heavy thread, 
with which they are sewed on, from protruding above the 
top surface of the button. 

Leather breeches, or "leathers" as they are commonly 
called, should be worn in place of trousers by servants except 
in the country where distinctly country carriages are em- 
ployed. Their use is required by judges of the National 
Horse Show Association for a city turn-out entered for a com- 
petition in which appointments are to count. That they are 
not universally recognized as essential to a well appointed 
trap is due largely to two causes: first, the additional ex- 
pense ; second, to a popular impression that they indicate a 
desire for display. The former consideration often proves 
prohibitory, but the latter objection is false when the practi- 
cal advantages are realized. Take, for example, a groom 
jumping off and on the box, and frequently compelled to get 
down into the mud or dust of a dirty street and go around 
the carriage in the performance of his duties. What is the 
result if he is uniformed in trousers ? They soon get baggy 
and dirty ; the owner expects them to do for several seasons 
and cannot understand w^hy they do not look better. "James 
must be careless, and there is no use attempting to keep 
things up to the mark." On the other hand, breeches are 
easily cleaned, and owing to their peculiar cut do not bag. 
The boots, when properly polished, present as good an ap- 
pearance the hundredth time they are used as they did the 
first. 



350 TROUSERS AND 1 OP-BOOTS. 

TROUSERS. 

Trousers may be worn by the coachman or under-coach- 
man in the city at night, or by a coachman in the country, 
although for the latter whipcord breeches are in most in- 
stances preferable. For reasons given in a preceding para- 
graph, w^hen the two men go out on the box together breeches 
instead of trousers should be worn by coachman and groom. 
The material for trousers should always be the same in text- 
ure and color as that of the coat. Piping, either plain or 
colored, on the outer seams of the trousers legs is permissible, 
but not desirable. When trousers are worn the greatcoat or 
body coat should be somewhat longer than is prescribed for 
use with breeches. None but livery trousers should be 
worn. Many servants wear their ordinary trousers when a 
robe offers concealment for their laziness. 

TOP-IJOOTS. 

The boots should be made of good stiff calfskin and the 
same material used throughout. Enamel or patent leather 
should not be used, as either of these kinds of leather soon 
become scarred and in consequence present a shabby ap- 
pearance. The soles of the boots should be heavy and broad, 
having a welt of about a quarter of an inch. The sides 
should be stiff enough to prevent the boots from falling in 
folds, and long enough to reach midway between the third 
and fourth buttons from the knee cap of the breeches. They 
are here held in place by gut loops that are passed through 
rings, sewed to the inside of the front and back of the boot, and 
then caught over the button on the front and back of the 
breeches. By having the loops thus made they can be read- 
ily replaced in the event of their breaking. 



COACHMAN'S AND GROOM'S STABLE CLOTHES. 351 

The boot tops should be of a fine quality leather and 
about 4 3-4 inches deep. Celluloid tops should never be 
used. The tops are usually colored a rich tan, called ma- 
hogany, or of a pink shade ; and sometimes of white ooze 
skin when used on the boots of servants in attendance upon 
ladies' carriages. This distinction is not necessary, but it 
evinces a discrimination regarding details. Black tops of 
cloth are frequently used if the servants are in mourning 
livery. 

coachman's and groom's stable clothes. 

The material used for stable clothes or so-called undress 
livery is called " whipcord." It can be obtained in almost 
all shades of brown or gray. Whatever color the owner 
chooses, it should be of a dark shade, and the strapping, 
when used, if full or about the knee, should be of dark buck- 
skin. The coat and waistcoat may be worn with either 
trousers or with breeches of the same material. Les^orins of 
box-cloth or pigskin are also used with the breeches. Top- 
boots should never be worn. The use of breeches is preferred 
as being more suitable for all kinds of work, such as exercis- 
ing horses, etc. The coat for the coachman should be a cut- 
away and that for the groom a sack coat. A black, not 
brown, hat should be worn with undress livery. A derby 
with rather straight sides and slightly rounded crown should 
be worn with the sack coat, and a felt hat with a flat crown 
is considered the proper shape when the tail-coat is used. 
Black boots, laced or buttoned, are the only kind that should 
be worn. 

The short, double breasted covert coat, with strap seams, 
is the proper topcoat to use with this form of livery. For 



352 BOX COATS, LINEN COLLARS AND SCARFS. 

winter use it should be lined with flannel. (See plate.) 
Stable clothes are appropriate in connection with all types of 
distinctly country vehicles, but should not be worn when a 
servant accompanies a city type of carriage in the country. 

DUMMV OR BOX COATS. 

The senseless and costly custom of displaying greatcoats 
at the back of the box seat has happily gone by. At first 
the greatcoat was used, but the exposure was found to be so 
ruinous to the material, and the bulkiness of the skirts inter- 
fered so much with the movements of the servants that 
dummy coats were introduced. The very word " dummy " 
should have been sufficient to stamp the character of the 
display. 

LINEN COLLARS. 

The regular shaped coachman's linen collar should be 
worn. Those with rounded corners, the ends of which meet 
when buttoned, present the neatest appearance. 

The collar should extend about an inch and a quarter 
above the collar of the livery coat, and should be the 
same for both coachman and groom. Extremes are to be 
avoided, as an absurdly high collar is as objectionable as one 
entirely lost to view. It will be found necessary for the ser- 
vants to wear a slightly higher collar with the greatcoats. 
The collars if they are done up with a glazed finish do not 
become so quickly soiled, but those with a dull surface pre- 
sent a better appearance. Each servant should be provided 
with a dozen collars and always discard one as soon as soiled. 
Cuffs should not be worn. 

SCARFS. 

The correct style of scarfs for coachman or groom is 




SERVANT IN STORM CLOTHES. 



HATS, COCKADES AND EPAULETS. 353 

shown in the plates of Hvery, The material of which they 
are made should be unfis^ured. Each servant should be 
provided with one dozen scarfs. They should be worn with- 
out a scarf pin, as otherwise the coachman is likely to use 
one kind of pin, the groom another, and the scarf to appear 
punctured with holes. 

HATS. 

Three livery hats should be provided ; the silk hat for 
full dress in fair weather, the cassimere one to take its place 
in threatening weather, and a derby for the undress livery or 
for street wear when doing errands, etc. For description of 
the shapes of the latter hat see under Undress Livery. The 
silk hats shown in the half-tone plates in this chapter are 
more " belled " than the writer advocates. 

COCKADES AND EPAULETS. 

Servants of military and naval officers and of foreign am- 
bassadors and ministers are alone allowed to wear epaulets, 
cockades and aiguillettes. The different forms of epaulets 
are shown on p. 345. Cockades are made of leather, and 
the loops may be either plain or of the official colors. 
Cockades for mourning purposes should always be of crepe. 
Cockades and aiguillettes when used should be worn on the 
left-hand side of the hat. The military cockade is shown in 
Fig. 195 and the naval cockade in Fig. 196. 

" Cockade-wearing servants whose masters do not hold ofifices which 
represent the crown have my authority to think their masters impostors." — 
Coussans, " Heraldry,'' p. Jj6, 4th edition. 

Only those servants entitled to wear cockades can use the 
black crepe band on the upper part of the left sleeve as a 
form of mourning for a member of their master's family. 



354 



GLOVES, MACKINTOSHES, ETC 





FIG. 195. 



FIG. 196. 



GLOVES. 



Each servant should be provided with a pair of heavy- 
dogskin gloves, a pair of dark worsted ones, and a pair of 
wool-lined ones for winter weather. 



MACKINTOSHES, ETC. 

The material of these storm coverinors should be of a 
cloth texture in preference to those with a shiny surface. 
The coat should be single breasted and with pockets at the 
sides with flaps. The coat is usually made so as to fall within 
about ten inches of the ground. The hat cover should 
be of the same material as that of which the coat is made. 

Upper Benjamins, /. e., coats with a series of capes of 
waterproof box-cloth, are frequently used in place of the 
simpler forms of waterproof coverings. 



FURS. 



355 



FURS. 

The furs used for livery are usually of clog, coon or bear 
skin. The last, although more expensive, wears better and 
is handsomer in appearance than any of the others used. A 
set of furs consists of a cap, cape, gloves and robe. The 
shape of the cap should be round, the cape should fall to the 
elbow, and the gloves be of the gauntlet pattern. The 
writer's preference is that the cap, cape and robe should 
always be worn together, never separately. The fur gloves 
should never be worn separately, but dogskin ones may be 
substituted. 




FIG. 197. 

POUCH USED BY THE GUARD OF 
A PUBLIC COACH. 



356 COST OF LIVERY. 

COST OF LIVERY. 

MADE TO ORDER. READY MADE. 

Greatcoat .$65.00 ... $35.00-^55.00 

Cloth waistcoat with sleeves . . . 15.00 . . . 8.00 

Heavy cloth trousers 16.00 . . . 12.00 

Body coat 45-oo . . . 22.00-25.00 

Valencia waistcoat 7.50 ... 5.00 

Waistcoat collar for body coat . . . 2.50 . . . 1.50 

Thin cloth trousers 14.00 . . . 9.00 

Leather breeches 3 5 00 • • 

Stockinette breeches 18.00 . . . 17.00 

Top-boots 18.00 . . . 9.00 

( tan 3.00 . . . 3.00 

Boot tops \ ooze skin 6.00 . . . 6.00 

I black cloth 5.50 . . . 5,50 

Boottrees 10.00 . . 

Breeches trees 18.00 . . . 15.00 

Whipcord coat 23.00 . . . 13-50 

Whipcord waistcoat 7.00 . . . 4.00 

Whipcord trousers 10.00 . . . 7.50 

Whipcord breeches 15 00 ... 11.00 

Whipcord leggins 7.50 . . . 4.00 

Leather or box-cloth leggins . . . 10.00 . . . 6.00 

Covert coat, double breasted . . . 40.00 . . . 22.00 

One dozen collars 2.75 

Half a dozen scarfs 3.00 

Silk hat 5.00 

Cassimere hat 5.00 

Coaching hat 5.00 

Derby hat 3.00 

Whipcord or plaid cap . .^ 1.50 

•'dogskin 1.50 

^, woollen 50 

Gloves -< 

woollen lined 2.00 

white buckskin 1.75 

Mackintosh coat i5-oo 



.^1 



BUTTONS AND BUTTON DIE. 



357 



Mackintosh hat cover 
Rubber hat cover . . 
Fur cap, bearskin . 
Fur cape . . . . 
Fur gloves . . . . 
Fur robe 



READY MADE. 

;?2.oo 

1.25 
12.00 

36, 50 and 76 
12.00 
100.00 



BUTTONS AND BUTTON DIE. 
Moulding of large monograms, etc., for buttons .... per doz. |5 10.00 
" " small " <« u « . . . . 

Die for monogram or crest of large buttons 

" " " " " " small " 

Stamping of large buttons from die ........ 

" " small " u u 



10.00 

25.00 

23.00 

2.00 

1. 00 




CHAPTER XIV. 
STABLE MANAGEMENT. 

RECOGNITION OF AUTHORITY, SYSTEM, ORDER, CLEANLINESS, 

ECONOMY, REGULATION OF TIME OFF, MEAL HOURS, 

CARE OF STABLE REQUISITES. 

The very simplicity of stable manage- 
ment is rendered so confusing by the mis- 
statements of ignorant or wilful servants 
that the care of a stable is enshrouded in 
mystery to many persons who are led to 
believe that for some occult reason the 
laws of common sense can be violated 
with impunity and only the initiated are 
justified in questioning the opinions and 
actions of even the most ignorant stable hand ; whereas a 
person of average intelligence can in a very short time acquire 
the necessary knowledge for properly conducting a stable. 
The dominant factors in good stable management, so far as 
it relates to the horse, are system, cleanliness, the giving of 
a judicious quantity of good fodder, thorough grooming, a 
uniform amount of exercise and care on the part of the 
attendant. 

the character of stable SERVANTS. 

In order to carry these principles into effect it is abso- 
lutely necessary that the servant in charge should be of good 
character and enforce the strictest compliance with all orders. 
Whoever is in charge of the stable, a stud groom, coach- 




THE CHARACTER OF STABLE SERVANTS. 359 

man or head lad, should not indulge in more luxurious hours 
than he expects any of his subordinates to enjoy. He should 
be up and about at six and have the day's work started 
at that time. The doors should be opened in fair weather, 
the horses watered and given a feed of hay. The stalls 
should be cleaned out and newly bedded down ; the horses 
given their grain before the men go to their breakfast at 
seven o'clock. At half past seven the grooming should 
be be2:un and half an hour devoted to each horse; the head 
collars and day clothing put on. When the grooming is com- 
pleted the brushes, etc., should be cleaned and put away ; the 
various parts of the stable dusted and the bedding and mats 
set fair. When there are no early morning orders this time 
should be taken to wash out the rubbing cloths and band- 
ages and to exercise such horses as are not going to be used. 
In the evening the person in charge should remain on duty 
until all the work is completed and the horses have been fed 
and " fixed " for the night. A man in care of a stable must 
realize the responsibility of his position and understand that 
he cannot intrust to others the details which he is employed 
to superintend. He should be held accountable for any 
accidents or mistakes occurring, except during his enforced 
absence, when driving, etc. 

Inferior men often believe or endeavor to convince an em- 
ployer that they are thoroughly capable and demand the same 
consideration as that to which superior servants are entitled; 
this claim when unjustified should be given the check it 
deserves. A man who is stupid, clumsy or slow will con- 
sume more time in performing his work than one who is 
quick and bright, hence he cannot have so much " time off." 
If indifferent grooms would only realize the additional value 



360 THE CHARACTER OE STABLE SERVANTS. 

their services would command were they absolutely reliable, 
the condition of those who have it in their power to offer 
this attraction would be greatly improved in every way, 
especially in the amount of their wages. If a man is only 
willing to do his work under compulsion or the constant fear 
of dismissal, an employer who is about to be absent from 
home for some time discharges his man, sells or turns his 
horses out rather than leave his stable in the hands of a ser- 
vant who would take advantage of his absence. Reliable 
men are retained under similar circumstances and are given 
an opportunity to enjoy a partial vacation. Special stress 
has been laid upon the virtue of reliableness, as it sometimes 
happens that when the value is pointed out a servant has the 
good sense to profit by it. 

Servants who creditably represent their vocation will be 
respected by all sensible men, but those who assume positions 
for which they are unqualified must be considered as would 
be any other impostors. 

Good servants should realize that their knowledge and 
habits determine the extent of their breadwinning powers ; 
and that a few years under a master who does not afford 
them the opportunities of thoroughly doing their work or 
who allows them to fall into bad ways, reduce their earning 
capacity and in many instances absolutely ruin them. The 
temptations are great for the servant of a rich master to 
accept the bribes that are constantly offered to him, to neg- 
lect the work and be away from the stable the greater part 
of the day or night when he knows that his absence will not 
be noticed. In the long run, a servant who is self-respecting 
and has sufficient good sense to withstand such temptations, 
and refrains from the assumptions and manners that make 



THE CHARACTER OF STABLE SERVANTS. 361 

an indulgent or indifferent master the laughing stock of the 
community, will be acting for his own best interests. It is to 
a servant's credit if he is respectful in his manner and does 
his work well for a master who is ignorant regarding stable 
matters, though it is to the coachman's or groom's advan- 
tage to seek another position where his services will be ap- 
preciated and his master be a person whom he can respect. 
A good servant can always secure a place, while inferior 
ones are compelled to accept half wages in order to keep 
body and soul together. 

If an owner wishes to know what his servant's character 
is, let him judge it when least expected, and it is better to 
make the opportunity at once than to wait for a chance 
one to indicate the character of the servant. The possessions 
intrusted to a servant's care are of such a perishable and 
costly nature that it is folly for the owner to be in doubt. A 
rascal in livery is neither different nor less objectionable than 
in any other walk in life. One may test the character of a 
new servant by directing the latter to drive him to the office 
or the railway station, here dismissing his own carriage and 
calling a public one. The reader may, if he has been unfor- 
tunate in his selection, witness, at various points between the 
office or the station and his residence, some very painful 
revelations. If more masters made it a matter of interest to 
know how their servants acted at all times, their neighbors 
and friends would be spared much of the annoyance caused 
by the servant's misconduct. How often one sees a carriage 
load of rollicking servants, who have been sent to church by 
a considerate master, disgracing the Sabbath, their master 
and themselves ; or the pitiful sight presented by a pair of 
well bred horses, covered with lather, standini^ in front of a 



362 THE CHARACTER OF STABLE SERVANTS. 

saloon or the shop of an alcoholic dispensing druggist. 
People are justly incensed at any one who brings rowdiness 
or debauchery, in the disguise of a servant, into the commu- 
nity, and a disregard of this matter will often affect the social 
relations of an owner and his neighbors. 

If horses that have been quiet are noticed to draw back, 
kick or bite when approached, it may be very reasonably con- 
cluded that the animals are being in some or many ways 
maltreated. When an owner is confident that his suspicions 
are well founded, he is advised to give the men warning that 
the continuance of such indications will result in their dis- 
charge. If it is known that any one man has been guilty of 
brutality he should be replaced by another servant. A man 
who is brutal by nature can never be trusted with animals. 
Horses which have been maltreated lose their confidence in 
man and are very apt to become treacherous and dangerous 
to ride or drive. A single case of abuse is often sufficient 
to absolutely ruin a good horse. Instances are not wanting 
of horses that have, after years of separation, attacked and 
killed servants who at one time brutalized them. On the 
other hand, a kind servant may regain the confidence of, and 
handle with safety, a horse that is apparently vicious. 

The writer has had, for a very brief period, men who, by 
injudicious and rough usage, have converted a stable full of 
horses into a den of wild animals; legs must be strapped 
up or twitches put on in order to groom the "vicious brutes" ; 
kicking-straps and severe bits used to drive them in safety, 
and the majority pronounced to be worthless. These same 
horses in the hands of other men would follow them about 
like the nursery lamb and could be handled or driven with- 
out any straitjacket appliances. There are some horses that 



RE CO GNITION OF A UTHORITY. 3 63 

are naturally vicious, but they are in the minority ; the 
chances are nine to ten that when your man tells you you 
have a brute in your stable, the creature indicated is the one 
speaking to you. 

RECOGNITION OF AUTHORITY. 

The positions of master and servant are ones that are 
often abused by both persons ; by the former through becom- 
ing too lax in demanding the proper observance of the for- 
malities in speech and manners, thoroughness in the execution 
of the work, and in the attention that the owner should give 
to the comfort and welfare of the servant. On the other 
hand, the coachman or groom too frequently becomes uncivil, 
slights or neglects his work and pillages by taking commis- 
sions. When such conditions exist the master and servant 
may be separately or jointly at fault. The master must qual- 
ify himself to command, the servant to obey. 

The position of owner or head man to those under him 
should be distinctly recognized and maintained. In many 
instances grooms of inferior ability, but endowed- with a lib- 
eral allowance of self-assurance, are virtual masters of the 
stable and cost the owner no small sum by their mismanage- 
ment. Therefore if an owner assumes control of his stable, 
let him, at the outset, have it understood that his orders are 
final and are to be obeyed to the letter. Stable men will 
sometimes endeavor to thwart a master by violating his 
orders and then citing the consequences as being the result 
of the owner's bad judgment ; this may be prevented by per- 
sonally supervising, for a few times, such orders as are likely 
to be wilfully misconstrued. To command respect and obedi- 
ence it is necessary that the owner should know whereof 



364 RE COGNITION OF A UTHORITY. 

he speaks, and his orders should receive some forethought 
and not be given hastily, without consideration. Otherwise 
the servant, after slow cogitation, arrives at the conclusion 
that his master knows neither what he wants nor how the 
work should be done, and executes the order according to 
his own interpretation of the requirements. 

" So in any commands we give, or in any reprimands we may use towards 
any person, justice, good feeling, and, indeed, common sense, demand that 
we are quite sure the command is proper, and the neglecting or disobeying 
it does not proceed from its impropriety, or the impossibility of its being 
carried into effect." — Charles Bn?idiey, ^^ Pocket and the Stud,'" p. 148. 

On the other hand, it is more advisable to have whatever 
directions are given strictly obeyed than it is for the owner 
to vacillate between his and the servant's opinion. Coach- 
men who take their orders sulkily, or shirk them because 
they are not allowed to have their own way, should not be 
retained. When a master gives an order, the coachman or 
groom should touch his cap, reply, " Yes, sir," or, " Very good, 
sir," and obey without further comment, unless there is some 
very good reason for him to speak. In conclusion of this 
subject of obedience to orders allow the writer to say that all 
orders should be strictly enforced, whether in regard to such 
a trivial matter as the fastening of a buckle or the more im- 
portant consideration of the care of a horse. If your loqua- 
cious servant attempts to argue with you or tell you how he 
did such and such a thing when living with so and so, hear 
him out in the first instance and then say, " Now do as I told 
you, and in the future when I give you an order reply, ' Yes, 
sir,' and execute it without any comments or hesitancy." It 
is advisable in trivial matters to insist on your servant do- 
ing what you may see the mistake of on second thought. 



MANNERS, ETC. 365 

Obedience and discipline are necessary and your man, or 
men, should, if ordered, put a horse in backward without any 
question. 

When a servant is sent on an errand or with a note, he 
should take the precaution to inquire if there is an answer. 
Upon returning the man should report immediately stating 
what the answer is, or giving the written reply, or saying that 
there is no answer, as the case may be. If the servant has 
been sent with a horse he should report to one of the house 
servants or fasten his horse and deliver the reply himself. 
Very often servants " put the horse up " before reporting, 
which causes a delay in rectifying a mistake, in case one has 
been made in taking the message or receiving the reply. 

MANNERS, ETC. 

Swearing and all other forms of offensive language are 
a very evident indication of the character of the servant and 
should never be allowed. Tippling, even though not carried 
to excess, must be considered a serious detriment even in the 
case of an otherwise excellent servant, as it prevents implicit 
confidence being given. Many men who have been accus- 
tomed to taking " a drop " now and then become drunkards 
in consequence of the necessity of fortifying themselves 
against the exposure of long hours on the box during inclem- 
ent weather or on winter nights. There are many hundreds 
of thoughtless and heartless owners who keep their men and 
horses waiting out in bad weather for several hours, when a 
little more judgment in ordering the equipage or self-sacrifice 
in departing from a ball or dinner, would be both humane 
and to the owner's interest from an economical standpoint. 
Such exposure day and night and every day simply drives 



366 PERSONAL APPEARANCE, SMOKING AND LIGHTS. 

men to drink, and when they have become drunkards or are 
found drunk on one or two occasions they are dismissed for 
a fault which, in many instances, is due to the owner. 

PERSONAL APPEARANCE. 

Self-respecting servants will keep themselves clean shaven 
and neat in appearance, others should be required to make 
themselves similarly presentable. Whenever a servant is 
called upon he should not cause any delay by the necessity 
of making an extensive toilet ; there are times when the 
owner does not require his services in which such matters 
may be attended to. After the grooming is finished the ser- 
vants should put on their stable clothes or the breeches 
and leggins and have a coat, collar and cravat ready to 
slip on when the owner or his friends visit the stable or he, 
the servant, is sent on some errand. For all rough work an 
old suit of clothes should be worn, and all livery used only 
when on duty. 

SMOKING. 

Smoking should not be allowed in the stall part of the 
stable or in the hayloft. There is no especial objection to a 
man having his pipe when working on the wash-stand or in 
the cleaning or harness room, but he should understand that 
this privilege is granted with the understanding that it will 
not^be carried beyond these limits. 

LIGHTS. 

In city stables where gas or electricity is the means em- 
ployed for artificial illumination there is but little need of 
especial caution ; in country stables where lamps are used, 
their location should be carefully selected and such precau- 



DISCHARGING. 367 

tion as strong supports and ample protection given to every 
lamp. The hay-chutes should be filled by daylight so that 
there will be no need of carrying a lamp into the hayloft or 
under ordinary circumstances into the stalls or boxes. Most 
men are criminally negligent regarding the use of lamps and 
stoves, and require all the caution and watching that can be 
given to them. 

DISCHARGING. 

A servant should be discharged immediately if found 
guilty of criminal neglect, drunkenness or theft. A man 
who will turn his horses, hot and dirty, into their stalls, or 
hose off a carriage and run it into place undried, ought not 
to be allowed an opportunity of repeating such acts of van- 
dalism ; and should tippling, serious disobedience to orders, or 
the doctoring of horses for the production of glossy coats be 
discovered the servant should be " sacked " at once, i. e., turned 
out of the stable within a few hours. Under such circum- 
stances a servant often enters a claim for a month's wasfes 
in advance, but if he is discharged for some serious misde- 
meanor, the law, unless some special compact has been made,* 
entitles him to nothing more than the payment in full of all 
indebtedness up to, and including, the day of his dismissal ; 
nor is it necessary to pay his return travelling expenses if 
engaged in a city and he is out of town at the time of his 
discharge. When an owner discharges his servant for lying, 
cheating or some less harmful fault than those mentioned 
above, or is contemplating breaking up his stable, a month's 
pay in advance should be given and the man turned off im- 
mediately in the first instance, and in the second the servant 

* The law governing the employment of servants in most states treats the matter of 
dismissal according to the understanding of the parties at the time of engaging. 



368 REGULATION OF TIME OFF. 

should be apprised of the intention of the owner as soon as 
possible, but given to understand that his services will be 
required until a certain date and that no reference will be 
eiven should he leave before that time. 

" A good servant is very apt to take it into his head that there is nobody 
like him. He begins to give himself airs, as if he were an indispensable 
personage, whose loss could not be supplied. He will sometimes forget 
himself so far as to do things which he knows would procure the discharge 
of any other servant. The longer a man of this kind is suffered the worse 
he grows. He encroaches here and there till he has privileges sufficient to 
incite rebellion in all the rest of the household. At last he becomes quite a 
fool, and there is no longer any managing of him, and he has to be sent 
about his business. A man who ventures to do wrong, or to forget his duty, 
merely because he knows that he is highly esteemed, must have very little 
foresight. It is the very way to forfeit all he has gained, and estimation of 
this kind once lost is always lost. It is a greater evil to lose a good name 
than never to obtain it." — John Stewart, " Stable Economy,^' p. yo. 

It is economy when a servant is to be discharged for 
some fault to have as little time as possible elapse between 
his getting notice and his actual exit from your service. 
A malicious servant can do a great deal of harm in a few 
hours. 

" Personally," said I, " I always make short work of it both with horses 
or servants, when I find either absolutely burdens. My advice is, send for 
your delectable stud- groom, give him a month's wages, pay his way back to 
where he came from, give him a couple of sovereigns extra to soften his 
prompt dismissal, and start him by the first conveyance in the morning : you 
can give as a reason for dismissing him that you intend to take charge of 
your horses yourself." — Charles Brhidley, " The Hunting Fi'eltl," p. 88. 

REGULATION OF TIME OFF. 

Too many owners consider a request for a uniform amount 
of time off a piece of unreasonable assumption. Servants 
who serve their employer faithfully should be considerately 



REGULATION OF TIME OFF. 369 

treated. " An evening off " once each week on a stated 
night should be allowed. The evening may be a certain one 
of each week or one set from time to time, but the servant 
should not be merely told that he can have " a night off " 
each week, resulting in every night being the one on which 
this privilege is enjoyed. When convenient, the servant 
should also be allowed a Sunday morning, afternoon or even- 
ing off. If only one man be employed, he should leave the 
key of the stable in some fixed place so that in case it is nec- 
essary to enter the stable it will not be found impossible 
to do so. The owner should also have a pass key, with 
which he can gain admittance at any time of the day or night. 
Unless your coachman is a very steady, reliable man the 
chances are he will arrange for an evening out whenever 
an opportunity occurs, and although this may not in every 
instance be of inconvenience to you, yet an occasion may 
arise when you require his services and he will be found 
wanting. It is therefore advisable to try your man before 
sickness, fire or accident makes it imperative for him to be 
on hand. 

Then again, a man who debauches cannot be trusted ; 
he will get up late, and when up he is not fit to perform his 
work. A fault that is common to many grooms is to assure 
their employer that they are at their work at five in the 
morning, whereas the work in reality begins at seven o'clock 
or later. If the servant is a self-described " early bird," tell 
the man that five is too soon to begin work and that six is a 
much better hour, then occasionally make sure that the work 
begins at that time. It is surprising to discover how impos- 
sible it is for these early risers to appear regularly at six 
o'clock. 



370 REGULATION OF MEAL HOURS, SYSTEM. 

REGULATION OF MEAL HOURS. 

In giving the amount of wages commanded by the differ- 
ent classed men, the servant is supposed to be provided with 
a furnished room but boards himself or makes an allowance 
of fifteen dollars if his meals are taken in the house. The 
master will be spared much annoyance if he pays his stable 
servant a fixed amount and allows him to find " table board " 
near at hand. This will prevent dissatisfaction below stairs 
arising from the men coming in at all hours, and there 
will be no complaints about the quality or quantity of food, 
nor complications over board bills if the amount of the wages 
paid includes a certain sum for board. The schedule of the 
regular daily work should be so arranged that half an hour is 
given respectively for breakfast, dinner and supper. Board- 
ing places ought, under no circumstances, to be so far distant 
that over forty-five minutes' absence from the stable is re- 
quired. If more than one man is employed it is convenient, 
and often necessary, for one man to remain in the stable 
while the other one is at his meals. By this arrangement 
there is always some one at hand to execute orders or to 
receive a returning trap or the horse of a visitor. Sleeping 
accommodations should be provided for the servants in the 
stable and near the stalls, but not over them. In the event 
of a horse becoming " cast," taken sick or fire breaking out 
it is important that one or more servants should be near at 
hand in order to render assistance. 

SYSTEM. 

There are few things in life for the success of which 
system is not essential. Its importance in stable manage- 
ment is undisputed as being conducive to the economy of 



SYSTEM. 371 

labor, time and money. In the average private stable the 
systematic performance of the early morning and evening 
work can be conducted without interruption; /. e., the servants 
arise at a certain hour, give the feed of hay and oats, water, 
do the grooming, set fair the stalls and have their breakfast ; 
in the evening the horses are watered, blanketed, fed and 
their beds made at regular hours. In this way much more 
work can be accomplished. Time is provided for all the 
work to be done, and there is consequently no excuse when 
it is neglected. If there be any negligence or tardiness it is 
made evident by being reflected from one duty to another 
throughout the day. The author has endeavored, in dealing 
with the various duties of a servant, to specify the time that 
he may reasonably employ in doing his work. Inferior 
coachmen dislike having their work " cut and dried," i. e., 
systematized, but good men prefer it and recognize its value. 
On this subject Charles Brindley, in the " Pocket and the 
Stud," says: 

*' One of the first things desirable in stable management is n//e ; by rule 
I mean a regular way of doing things ; and this is a matter seldom attended 
to sufficiently, unless the stable is under the superintendence of a first-rate 
stud-groom. I do not merely allude to the important matters of stable 
hours, dressing, feeding, watering, and so forth, but to the minor details." — 
p. go. 

" All things in a stable should be done, not from a man recollecting that 
he should do it, but from habit, as naturally as he brings up his left leg to 
follow his right or vice versa.'' — ■/. g2. 

As stable servants are not naturally systematic, the work 
which occurs at odd intervals, but is practically the same 
day after day, should be performed in such a systematic way 
that one act is instinctively followed by another. The per- 



372 SYSTEM. 

formance of the regular chores of the day should be formu- 
lated into a conveniently arranged routine somewhat as 
follows : 

SERVANT NO. I. 

6-7. Set fair the stalls. 

7^7.30. Breakfast. 
8-8.30. Dress " Rocket." 

f Beat and put away night clothing. 

I Clean, trim and fill lamps. 
1 1. 30-1 2. Dinner. 
12-12.30. Fill hay and straw chutes. 
5.30-6. Supper. 
6. Bed down and clean up. Clean head collars. 

SERVANT NO. 2. 

6-6.30. Fill water buckets. 

6.3.0—7. Set fair the stalls. 

7-7.30. Dress " Bluebell." 

7.30-8. Breakfast. 

8-8.30. Dress " Gamecock." 

o ( Set fair outer part of stable. 

8.30-9. \ '^ 

\ Dust in harness and cleaning room. 

11-11.30. Fill water buckets, set fair the stalls. 

12. Dinner. 

5.30-6. Fill buckets and set fair the stalls. 

6-6.30. Supper. 

SERVANT NO. 3. 

6-6.30. Water, hay, take off bandages, do up bedroomo 

6,^0-7. Clean shoes, boots, feed horses. 

7-7.30. Breakfast, bring shoes to house. 

7.30-8. Dress "Scout." 

8-8.30. Dress "Spy." 

8.30-9. Put on day clothing and head collars. 

II. Water horses. 

11.45. Feed horses. 

12-12.30. Dinner. 



ORDER. 



373 




FIG. 198. 



374 ORDER. 

5.30-6. Change clothing, take off head collars, hay and water. 

6-6.30. Supper. 

6. 30. Feed horses. 

9. Water horses and fill buckets. 

ORDER. 
"A place for everything, everything in its place." 

A convenient place should be provided for everything, 
and everything kept in its place when not in use. Pitch- 
forks, brooms and shovels should have a space large enough 
to accommodate them all together at one end of the stable, 
and at the cost of from one to three dollars especially 
designed hooks and brackets may be had for their support. 
The pails should have a place near the water tap and be 
neatly " lined up " when not in use. The grooming inple- 
ments should be kept in a cleaning basket or on open 
shelves, deep enough to hold the " dandy brush." By divid- 
ing the shelves with strips of wood for the brushes, cloths, 
currycombs, etc., it will be seen at a glance what article, if 
any, is missing. The oat measure, sieve, lamps, cleaning 
bridle, and blankets should have supports provided for them, 
and not be permitted to be thrown on the floor or poked 
away in a dark closet. Places should be so arranged for all 
stable requisites that an owner can say, " Where is the bit 
that belongs there, or a broom here.? " etc. Have no closets 
with doors. Open shelves are to the stable what open 
plumbing is to the house. 

" If we should see that which in a badly organized stable is sure to be 
seen, namely, all sorts of stable utensils and requisites in holes and corners, 
on the window ledges, in the corn bin (if one be in the stable), the steps 
of the loft ladder, an^ various other improper lodgments for them, the want 



CLEANLINESS. 375 

which will suggest itself at once is that of a good cupboard, or rather press, 
at each end of the building. Nothing looks more unstablemanlike than 
forks, brooms, buckets, etc., standing about. Should it be at all dusk or 
even by daylight if your attention is occupied, the chance is you break your 
shin over a pail, and while dancing with agony on one leg, you hop into the 
dropping-scuttle, and out of that pop into the cold stopping-box. 

" Numerous accidents happen where utensils are allowed to stand in the 
stable. Horses coming in and out are almost sure to strike against them. 
This frightens them ; they run back, hit something else, or run against other 
horses and get kicked. Should such a thing occur as a horse getting loose 
in the night (no very improbable circumstance, by the by, in a badly con- 
ducted stable), probably if he walked quietly about, or even into another 
horse's stall, if used to each other, no harm may happen; but if in the dark 
he gets kicking the buckets about the stable, as Dr. Pangloss, did the phials 
about his shop, he (not Dr. Pangloss) gets frightened, frightens the other 
horses, and they all get kicking and snorting together ; and then, to use the 
doctor's pet numbers, it is ' Two thousand five hundred and thirty-eight ' to 
one that some mischief ensues." — Charles Brindley, ^^ Pocket and the 
Stud, ^' pp. go andgj. 

CLEANLINESS. 

Cleanliness and neatness are as possible and desirable in 
the stable or barn as in any of the large mercantile establish- 
ments of the cities. All parts of the stable should be swept 
out each morning and the window sills, shelves and other 
projecting furnishings dusted. All dirt should be swept into 
the pit or basket, not out of the stable door. By sprinkling 
the floor with water — not deluging it — much dust is pre- 
vented from rising and then settling on the carriage, harness 
or horses. Liquid " Sanitas Disinfectant " used in the same 
way, at but a trifling expense, produces a similar result, be- 
sides giving a clean, healthful odor. Once a week there should 
be a cleaning day when the stalls should be thoroughly washed 
out, i. e., flooded ; the mangers, partitions, walls and windows 



376 ECONOMY. 

hosed and mopped down. Time must be given for the stalls 
to thoroughly dry before the straw is replaced, and during 
this interval the gutters and drains should be carefully 
cleared out. If the slats in the stalls are detachable, they 
should, when the weather is fair, be taken out and dried in 
the sun. A man will be kept busy from the time he has had 
his breakfast until midday, if he cleans a small stable 
thoroughly. At odd hours during other days of the week 
the pails, rubbing cloths, brushes, etc., should be cleaned, 
sweetened with a weak solution of baking soda, and dried 
in the sun. The doors and windows should be opened when- 
ever the weather permits, and in summer the stable should 
be opened before the horses are groomed, and ought to re- 
main so until evening unless the weather is bad or a dusty 
road is in close proximity, in which cases the airing will 
have to be regulated according to local circumstances and 
conditions. Truck and refuse should not be allowed to ac- 
cumulate. Tin cans, bottles, boxes and paper should be 
thrown in a waste barrel and not allowed to become recep- 
tacles for dirt and dust. Shelves, dark closets, back stairs 
and stall drains are the usual places neglected in the cleaning, 
and an examination of such places will reveal the degree of 
thoroughness with which the work has been done. 

ECONOMY. 

When system and order have once been firmly established, 
a few moments each day or even at irregular intervals during 
the week will sufhce to insure the continuance of regular and 
satisfactory work, the pecuniary economy of which will be 
immediately manifested if it supersedes a state of bad man- 
agement. 



ECONOMY. 377 

The horses will be freer from sickness and able to endure 
more work if given their full quota of grooming and regu- 
larly fed and watered ; the carriages will last longer if, after 
they are used, they are well washed and cleaned, and when 
standing idle they are frequently dusted and aired ; the har- 
ness will last longer if properly cared for after work instead 
of being left muddy and wet until the following morning ; 
and brushes, sponges, chamois, etc., will not have to be con- 
stantly bought to take the place of those that have been 
poked away into some out of the way place or that have 
been rendered useless by rot. The sobriety and good will 
of the stable servants are important factors in controlling 
the ravages of wear and tear. Without system and order, 
economy is impossible, and their introduction into the man- 
agement of the average stable would permit of another horse 
being kept without increasing the expenses. 

A competent coachman commands high wages not only 
because he is of good appearance, sits well on the box and 
drives his horses smartly, but because, by the intelligent and 
systematic performance of his work, he saves his employer 
many dollars each month. This ability is acquired only by 
capable men who have been taught to do their work in- 
telligently and systematically. 

The average coachman, though a good worker, has a 
dozen or more irons in the fire at once. The horses are 
sometimes watered before they are fed, at others the task is 
reversed ; then, again, the man begins to clean a set of har- 
ness; if he is called away for a moment, when he returns, 
instead of continuing his work on the harness, his attention 
is given to a dirty carriage, and so on until he has all his 
stable work begun but nothing finished. Brushes, sponges, 



378 VENTILA TION. 

harness, blankets, etc., are strewn helter-skelter about the 
stable and the man, if he stops to contemplate the situation, 
is bewildered by the amount of work confronting him. Such 
is the all too common proof of bad management and absence 
of system. 

A tippling or drunken servant cannot and does not give 
his share of the work a proper amount of attention, and the 
same may be said of a man whose main interest is outside of 
the stable ; he will slur over his work in order to be " with 
the boys," or at cards, or with some alluring member of the 
fair sex. When excuses come pouring in for faulty work, 
look for the source of the trouble in the evening and early 
morning. A visit to the stable at nine or ten p. m. or 
between six and seven in the morning is worth a week's in- 
spection at more "seemly" hours. 

VENTILATION. 

The majority of servants who have charge of a stable 
consider the matter of temperature before that of ventila- 
tion. Under all circumstances, however, the latter should 
be of primary importance. The means of safely providing 
for a free circulation of air are described in Chapter IV. It 
is impossible to have too much fresh air, providing the horses 
are gradually accustomed to it, and the vents are so arranged 
that no drafts will be produced. Admiral Rous, a famous 
handicapper of race horses, is quoted by Captain Hayes in his 
book entitled " Training and Horse Management in India," 
p. 8, as saying : 

"The windows of a stable ought never to be shut by night or day; in 
cold weather add to the clothing, but never deprive them of the great 
source of vitality, fresh air." 



TEMPERA TURE. 379 

On entering the stable early in the morning before the 
doors have been opened a frequent proof of the neglect or 
prejudice against this wholesome practice is given by the con- 
densation on the windows and walls. The moisture that col- 
lects on these places is due to the same cause which pro- 
duces it in similar places in a greenhouse. 

TEMPERATURE. 

As the horse's coat is rendered fine and glossy in con- 
sequence of the animal being kept in a warm stable, servants 
are prone to make this agent do a large share of the work 
which should be done by the application of the body brush 
and whisp. Ignorant and lazy grooms, from time to time, 
advance the argument that " has the osses looks so fine it 
can't 'urt 'em." Experience has shown that horses kept in 
hot stables are rendered more susceptible to colds, coughs, 
and other more serious forms of sickness in consequence of 
being subjected to the sudden transitions of temperature in 
going from the warm stable into the cold atmosphere. As 
the change is not only felt externally, but, what is of far more 
serious consequence, internally by the cold air being inhaled 
into the lungs, the horse cannot be entirely protected by the 
use of dress or quarter blankets. Between fifty and sixty 
degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature which it is advisable to 
maintain in the stall part; and to enforce the maintenance 
of any degree the owner may think proper, the use of a reg- 
istering thermometer is a very valuable instrument in help- 
ing to determine to what extent the instructions have been 
carried out. In the coach house, wash-stand and harness 
and cleaning rooms a temperature of seventy degree should be 
maintained in winter and damp weather. 



380 TEMPERATURE. 






"■ In a well drained, well paved, well ventilated and cleanly kept stable 
the temperature may generally be maintained at from fifty to sixty degrees. 
Ill drained, ill paved, badly ventilated or dirty stables cannot with safety be 
kept as warm as those of which the sanitary condition is more favorable. 

*' Many varying circumstances, however, of situation, whether bleak or 
sheltered, of thickness of walls, of ceiling or absence of ceiling, of rooms 
overhead, of adjacent buildings and such-like considerations, must modify 
any general rules as to temperature. Some regard, too, should be paid to 
the state of the external atmosphere. With the thermometer, for instance, 
at zero out of doors, a stable would be injudiciously warm at from fifty to 
sixty degrees, although that temperature may be taken as a fair average for 
most seasons of the year." — Sir F. Fitzwygram, ^'Stable Manage men f,'" 
p.8g. 

" So much depends upon the kind of horse and the work he has to do, 
that is to say, whether he is much exposed to the cold or not, that no rule 
can be laid down which is applicable to all stables, but I believe it may be 
asserted that none should be above sixty degrees, or below fifty degrees, if it 
can be avoided. I have often known horses stand severe rattling for months 
together, while standing in a stable which was so cold as to make their coats 
as rough as badgers, but when removed to warmer quarters they have at 
once gone ' all to pieces,' their legs or feet becoming inflamed from miss- 
ing the refrigerating effect of cool air after their daily work. On the whole, 
therefore, for the private gentleman's stable, including those for hunters, 
hacks and carriage horses, I should advise a regular temperature to be pre- 
served as near fifty degrees Fahrenheit as possible." — Stonehenge, ^^ Every 
Horse Owner's Cyclopcedia,''' p. 201. 

" It is not so generally known as it should be, that the return to a hot 
stable is quite as dangerous as the change from a heated atmosphere to a 
cold and biting air. Many a horse that has travelled without harm over a 
bleak country has been suddenly seized with inflammation and fever when 
he has, immediately at the end of his journey, been surrounded with heated 
and foul air. It is the sudden change of temperature, whether from heat 
to cold or from cold to heat, that does the mischief, and yearly destroys 
thousands of horses." — William Youatt, " The Horse,'' p. 124. 



PLAITS, MATS AND PILLIKINS. 381 

PLAITS. 

After the bedding has been set fair a plait should be laid 
at the end of the stalls, in front of the box stall doors and 
entrances. The method of making a plait consists of damp- 
ening the straw and placing near the edge a fork handle or 
pole which is held in place by the feet or knees ; the pro- 
truding straw ends are drawn with both hands toward the 
right and twisted under. When the ends are firmly wrapped 
the edging should be round and perfectly even. 

MATS AND PILLIKINS. 

Any ser\^ant who considers himself anything of a stable- 
man should know how to make any of the various designs 
of mats. Mats may be bought for about one dollar and 
twenty-five cents per yard, but they can be made at odd 
times by the stable servants, and under such conditions they 
are always better cared for. The two general forms are : first, 
those w^iich are knotted only at the top; second, those which 
are knotted in two places. The latter requires more than twice 
as much time to make up, but are more durable. The vari- 
ous forms of knots employed are shown in Fig. 199. Selected 
straw with the heads intact may be obtained from the grain 
dealer. The heads should be pulled from the long stalks 
and thoroughly dampened before being used. One or more 
pieces of cord are stretched over a hook and the ends passed 
through holes made about two and a half inches apart in 
a block of wood and then fastened the same distance (two 
and a half inches) apart to a point opposite the hook. A 
bunch of three or five straws is then taken by the man who 
faces the hook end of the string. When the straw is knotted 
it is drawn tight and pushed firmly against the hook end of 
the string and each succeeding bunch is similarly worked. 



382 



MATS AND PILLIKINS. 




f 




(r\ 



(n 



\j 






M 



/f^i 



u 



MATS AND FILL I KINS. 



383 




The effect of the finished mat will be determined by the 
evenness of the heads and their uniform distance from the 
top of the string. After the bunches of straw have all 
been knotted the heads may be either left above the top of 
the string or bent down. The former position is the one 
usually adopted in making pillikins (/. <?., mats that are fast- 
ened around posts, etc.). Various colored braid is woven in 
and out between the bunches, and the bottom ends of the 
straw evenly cut off. In making mats with the double knot 
the distance between the top and bottom string should be 
exactly the same as the widths of the three or more pieces 
of braid which are to be inserted. Illustration in Fig. 200 



384 



MATS AND PILLIKINS. 




FIG. 20 1. 



shows a method of knotting the straws when colored string 
or cord is employed. 

The floor under the carriages maybe sanded, and by tack- 
ing a small strip of moulding across the front an even edging 
is maintained. Other parts of the stable may be similarly 
treated, according to the owner's desire. Monograms or 
other devices are often made by the use of colored sand and 
a cardboard stencil. 



CARE OF STABLE REQUISITES, ETC. 



385 



PAPTTC:! 




FIG. 202. 
CARE OF STABLE REQUISITES. 

As straws show which way the wind blows, so the condi- 
tion of the metal work, stable requisites and the presence or 
absence of mats, plaited bedding and sanded floors indicate 
the degree of thoroughness and neatness which is maintained 
in the stable. The neglect of these articles means a like 
neglect of the other more important factors of the establish- 
ment. 

BLANKETS AND SHEETS. 

The blankets should be shaken each mornine out of 
doors, and when the weather permits they should be left turned 
inside out in the sun. From time to time it will be found 
necessary to brush them. They should be cleaned at a reg- 
ular cleansing establishment once a year or oftener. The 
linen or serge sheets used during the summer months re- 
quire the same attention, but the washing can be done in the 
stable. 

HEAD COLLARS AND HALTER SHANKS. 

Head collars require daily care ; the leather should be 
sponged over, care being taken to remove any dirt from the 



386 BANDAGES, WATER PAILS, ETC. 

inside, and then gone over with some saddle soap on a sponge. 
The metal parts should be polished : a common fault is to 
neglect the short corners between the leather parts. If buck- 
skin brow-bands are used they should be taken off, the outer 
surface moistened, pipe clay rubbed on and the band hung 
in the sun or near the stove to whiten. Enamel brow-bands 
should be taken off, sponged, and, from time to time, a little 
olive oil rubbed on. The halter shanks and pillar reins, 
which should be of leather, are cleaned in the same manner 
as the head collar. 

BANDAGES. 

Flannel bandages that are merely used to stimulate the 
circulation should be shaken out every time they are used, 
and from time to time washed with warm water and soap 
and thoroughly dried before being rolled up. Linen and 
flannel bandages that are used in the application of lotions 
or salves should be thoroughly washed immediately after use 
with warm water and soap and similarly dried. 

WATER PAILS. 

Unless the drinking pails are properly cared for, fermen- 
tation is likely to occur and causes cases of colic. After use 
they should be turned upside down and lined up in a con- 
venient place. Occasionally it will be necessary to rinse 
them out with a little washing soda and place in the sun to 
dry. The outside of the pails should be painted the " stable 
colors," with the initials of the owner in the middle between 
the top and bottom hoops and the ends of the handle. The 
inside should be painted with white enamel paint, which 
color serves to show any uncleanliness in the water. 



SPONGES, BRUSHES, RUBBING CLOTHS, ETC. 387 
BOTTLES OF POLISH AND PASTE, ETC. 

Immediately after use the "compo" and saddle soap cans, 
the bottles of polish, etc., should be covered, sponged and put 
in the place assigned them. 

SPONGES AND BRUSHES. 

Feather dusters should be protected by wrappers of 
heavy paper. Each morning, after the regular work is per- 
formed, the sponges should be rinsed and squeezed, not 
wrung out, the wet chamois put through the wringer, and 
they, with the body and dandy brushes, placed in the sun or 
near a stove to dry. Once a week the brushes should be 
thoroughly washed with warm water softened by the addition 
of a few drops of ammonia. As much of the water as is pos- 
sible should be removed by tapping the brushes on the floor, 
after which they should be placed in the sun or before a fire 
to dry. 

RUBBING CLOTHS. 

The rubbing cloths of white crash or cotton should have 
their color maintained by constant washing in hot water 
and soap on a scrubbing board, in addition to which these 
cloths should be boiled with a little washing soda, at intervals 
of a fortnight or so, and placed in the sun to bleach. 

METAL WORK. 

Whether brass or painted fittings are used, their condi- 
tion should always be bright and neat. To produce such 
results the brass work should be daily gone over with apiece 
of flannel or "waste " saturated with metal polish, and then 
rubbed with some dry waste and afterward polished with a 
chamois. If the metal used is painted, it should be dusted 



388 



SHOVELS, BROOMS, ETC. 



daily and frequently sponged over and retouched and never 
allowed to remain scarred or marked. 

SHOVELS, BROOMS, ETC. 

The shovels and forks should be sponged clean after 
being used every morning and hung on hooks in some 
handy place where there is no chance of a horse injuring him- 
self by coming in contact with them. The inexcusable cus- 
tom some men have of poking these and other requisites 
away in dirty damp closets or recesses should not be tolerated. 




i. 



CHAPTER XV. 
FODDER, WATER AND BEDDING. 

THE QUALITY, QUANTITY AND COST OF HAY, GRAIN, 
BEDDING, ETC. 

The fodder which the mature horse 
receives in the course of a day should fulfil 
two requirments: first, to provide, by assimi- 
lation, such materials as are necessary to 
replace those which have been expended in 
all forms of muscular and nervous exertion; 
second, to furnish, by combustion, warmth to 
the body. If the animal is young and not 
fully developed there is a third function, 
namely, that of providing nutriment for the 
creation of the material needed in forming; 
new structures. 
In viewing the horse's fodder in the light of these con- 
siderations it will be readily seen that the food should not 
be of the same unvarying character to which it is usually 
confined. Many servants, with the best intentions but igno- 
rant of the results of their acts, feed their horses a uniform 
quantity of oats, hay and water, day in and day out, with a 
bran mash once a week, irrespective of the age of the horse, 
the amount of work he is performing, or the season of the 
year. If the quantity of provender used is small, the aver- 
age owner concludes his servant is honest and economical, 
and gives the matter no further consideration. However, it 

389 




390 FODDER. 

may be that though his servant is honest, the owner is al- 
most if not quite as much a loser by his horses being- 
underfed as though the servant, for the purpose of increas- 
ing the size of his commission, allowed the horses more than 
is required. 

In order to feed a horse economically it is absolutely 
necessary that all the provender should be of the best qual- 
ity procurable and that it should be in kind and quantity 
according to the age of the horse, his temperament, the sea- 
son of the year and amount of work the animal is daily per- 
forming. This of course does not apply to the cheapest 
mode of merely keeping a horse alive, but to maintaining 
him in such condition as best enables him to perform a rea- 
sonable amount of work. 

Because certain foods are too heating to give during the 
summer season is no reason why they should not be em- 
ployed, and to advantage, at a period of the year when the 
horse, like his owner, feels the need of a more stimulating 
diet. Meal, corn, beans and similar foods are very valuable 
adjuncts or alternatives, providing they are given under the 
right conditions and in judicious quantities. In summer it 
is of even more importance that attention should be given 
to the horse's diet, as his work is analogous to that of an 
athlete, and the food given should be of the same cooling 
nature as is required by man. 

FODDER. 

In considering the several foods that form a small pro- 
portion of the innumerable kinds on which a horse can exist, 
but does not invariably thrive, those that have been found 
to contain the required nourishment and offer sufficient va- 



SPONGES, BRUSHES, RUBBING CLOTHS, ETC. 387 
BOTTLES OF POLISH AND PASTE, ETC. 

Immediately after use the "compo" and saddle soap cans, 
the bottles of polish, etc., should be covered, sponged and put 
in the place assigned them. 

SPONGES AND BRUSHES. 

Feather dusters should be protected by wrappers of 
heavy paper. Each morning, after the regular work is per- 
formed, the sponges should be rinsed and squeezed, not 
wrung out, the wet chamois put through the wringer, and 
they, with the body and dandy brushes, placed in the sun or 
near a stove to dry. Once a week the brushes should be 
thoroughly washed with warm water softened by the addition 
of a few drops of ammonia. As much of the water as is pos- 
sible should be removed by tapping the brushes on the floor, 
after which they should be placed in the sun or before a fire 
to dry. 

RUBBING CLOTHS. 

The rubbing cloths of white crash or cotton should have 
their color maintained by constant washing in hot water 
and soap on a scrubbing board, in addition to which these 
cloths should be boiled with a little washing soda, at intervals 
of a fortnight or so, and placed in the sun to bleach. 

METAL WORK. 

Whether brass or painted fittings are used, their condi- 
tion should always be bright and neat. To produce such 
results the brass work should be daily gone over with apiece 
of flannel or "waste " saturated with metal polish, and then 
rubbed with some dry waste and afterward polished with a 
chamois. If the metal used is painted, it should be dusted 



388 



SHOVELS, BROOMS, ETC. 



daily and frequently sponged over and retouched and never 
allowed to remain scarred or marked. 

SHOVELS, BROOMS, ETC. 

The shovels and forks should be sponged clean after 
being used every morning and hung on hooks in some 
handy place where there is no chance of a horse injuring him- 
self by coming in contact with them. The inexcusable cus- 
tom some men have of poking these and other requisites 
away in dirty damp closets or recesses should not be tolerated. 




THE QUANTITY OF OATS. 397 

THE QUANTITY OF OATS. 

The average horse In a private stable performs compara- 
tively a limited amount of work, and for such horses an 
allowance of from eight to ten quarts of oats per day is 
sufficient. For horses in regular work, covering between 
eight and sixteen miles, a quart to each mile would be a fair 
average. The majority of horses used for an afternoon's 
drive or ride or for shopping are overfed, and many of the 
accidents which occur may be traced to the grain bin. Al- 
though the horse's diet cannot be abruptly increased or 
diminished, the daily allowance should be in proportion to 
the amount of work the horse performs, but not to the 
number of hours he is in harness. Horses should always 
be watered about half an hour before they are given their 
strain. 

" The amount of grain given to the animal should be proportionate to 
the amount of work he is called upon to perform, remembering always that 
there is a constant waste of tissue going which demands repair by food. 

"In cold weather if horses be not warmly clad, they should have an 
increase to the amount of their corn." — M. H. Hayes, "Training and 
Ho7-se Management in India,'' pp. yy, y8. 

" Of the quantity to be given experience is also our best guide. The 
regulation cavalry allowance of ten pounds per diem unquestionably is suf- 
ficent for horses in ordinary work. This weight is about equivalent to what 
is usually understood as three feeds. But where the work is severe, horses 
should be allowed as much oats as they will eat. Hunters so fed will not 
consume on the average of the winter more than from fourteen to fifteen 
pounds or possibly sixteen per diem. Large carriage horses in ordinary 
gentleman's work require fourteen pounds per day. On this allowance they 
ought to be kept in the best possible condition." — Sir F. Fitzwygram, 
" Horses and Stables,'' p. jy . 

" The Daily Allowance of oats is very variable. Hunters and racers 
receive almost as much as they will eat during the season of work. The 



398 



CRUSHED AND BRUISED OATS. 



quantity for these horses varies from twelve to sixteen or eighteen pounds 
per day. Stage and mail horses get about the same allowance. Some will 
not consume above fourteen pounds, others will manage nearly eighteen. In 
most stables some other corn is used. For every pound of barley or beans 
that may be given, rather more than an equal weightis taken off the ordinary 
allowance of oats. Saddle horses receive about twelve pounds of oats, cart 
horses from ten to fourteen." — -John Stewart, " Stable Economy,'' p. igg. 





FIG. 203. 



FIG. 204. 



APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS OF ROUND QUART MEASURES. 
DIAMETER. DEPTH. 

1 qt. 5 3-8 inches. 2 7-8 inches. 

2 qt. 6 3-4 inches. 3 3-4 inches. 
4 qt. 81-2 inches. 4 3-4 inches. 

" Where we cannot always be present and must trust to subordinates, 
the only way is to make a fair, liberal, but not profuse allowance ; and if 
things on that allowance are done well, it is bad policy to notice any little 
advantage those subordinates may derive on particular occasions. 

" We now come to the kind of horse I will suppose the reader about to 
keep, namely, a moderate sized one, for moderate work in harness or for the 
saddle. For such a horse, four quarterns* of corn and a trussf of hay in 
four days are quite sufificient ; if a horse, merely to ride for an airing, three 
quarterns are enough with perhaps a trifling addition in that case to his hay." 
— Charles Brindley, " The Pocket and the Stud" pp. 126, 12-/. 

CRUSHED AND BRUISED OATS. 
" Next to having oats good and of a proper age, it is a matter of vast 
importance to give them crushed or bruised to all horses ; for this an oat 
bruiser is desirable, as they should be bruised fresh and fresh, that is, I should 

* Four quarterns equal one peck. f One truss is equal to 56 lbs. 



THE COST OF BAY AND QUALITY OF OATS. 395 

stated weight correspond. The very difficulty of determining 
this balance results in much dishonesty. In all places there 
are weighers who register the weight on a slip which they 
indorse. In buying hay that is pressed and baled no deduc- 
tion is allowed for the sticks and wire used. All hay that is 
mouldy or has become damp in transit from snow or rain 
should be rejected. 

THE COST OF HAY, 

Hay can be bought cheaper at the time it is being gath- 
ered than at any other period. As the season progresses, 
the price gradually rises until an advance of about five dollars 
per ton has been made to offset the cost of storage and the 
interest on the money invested. The time when hay for 
immediate use may be purchased at the lowest price is in 
November. The hay sold at this season is either that which 
was gathered in June and July or the hay cut the preceding 
year. The latter, in point of age, is preferable for horses in 
hard or fast work. The price of hay varies between ten and 
twenty dollars per ton and is determined by the size of the 
crop, the quality of the produce and the extent of the local 
demand. At the present time the price is very low as the 
result of unusually large crops and the decrease in the de- 
mand due to the substitution, in many instances, of electric 
for horse power. 

THE QUALITY OF OATS. 

In testing the quality of oats it is advisable to take a 
handful and spread them out on a fiat surface so that each 
grain can be seen separately. They should be short, plump, 
heavy, hard and clean ; the husks should cling firmly to the 
kernel and be free from beards, the skins thin and the ker- 



396 



THE AGE OF OATS. 



nels full of flour. In smelling and tasting oats it is necessary 
to use a fair quantity. The grain should be free from all 
odor and in flavor they should have a slightly milky and 
sweet taste. Poor oats vary in size and are long, flat and 
light. If a cane is poked into a bin of inferior grain, a steady, 
heavy resistance is felt, whereas with good oats the cane can 
be thrust in with little difficulty. The noise made by the 
rattling of good oats has been likened to that produced by 
barley kernels or shot. 



GOOD OATS. 


INFERIOR 


OATS. 


NEW OATS. 


OLD OATS. 


Clean. 


Dirty. 




Shiny husks. 


No lustre. 


Even size. 


Uneven size. 


Earthy smell. 


Free from odor. 


Short. 


Small. 




Sweet milky taste. 


Bitter taste. 


Plump. 


Flat. 




Soft. 


Hard. 


Heavy. 


Light. 




Bearded. 


Beards rubbed off. 


Hard. 


Soft. 




Down covered kernel. 


Husk drawn tight. 


Thin skinned. 


Coarse skinned. 


Ends of grain soft. 


Ends of grain sharp, 


Dry. 


Mouldy. 




Flour juicy. 


Flour dry. 



THE AGE OF OATS. 

New oats are undesirable as they are of uneven quality 
and have a tendency to " scour " the horse. Grain of from 
one to three years' seasoning is therefore preferred and 
commands a high price. New oats have a clean earthy 
smell, its absence indicates that the grain is old. 

" In point of age I should say that for horses in fast work oats should 
not be less than two years old ; after that I consider their farinaceous part 
begins to shrink, and that, consequently, a greater proportion of husk falls 
to the horse's share. The objection to new oats is, first, that they are flatu- 
lent ; and, secondly, as in the case with new oatmeal with hounds, they do 
not, as we say in kennel language, ' stay by them.' " — Charles Brindley, 
"The Pocket and the Stud,'' p. 124. 



THE QUANTITY OF OATS. 397 

THE QUANTITY OF OATS. 

The average horse in a private stable performs compara- 
tively a limited amount of work, and for such horses an 
allowance of from eight to ten quarts of oats per day is 
sufficient. For horses in res^ular work, coverinor between 
eight and sixteen miles, a quart to each mile would be a fair 
average. The majority of horses used for an afternoon's 
drive or ride or for shopping are overfed, and many of the 
accidents which occur may be traced to the grain bin. Al- 
though the horse's diet cannot be abruptly increased or 
diminished, the daily allowance should be in proportion to 
the amount of work the horse performs, but not to the 
number of hours he is in harness. Horses should always 
be watered about half an hour before they are given their 
grain. 

" The amount of grain given to the animal should be proportionate to 
the amount of work he is called upon to perform, remembering always that 
there is a constant waste of tissue going which demands repair by food. 

"In cold weather if horses be not warmly clad, they should have an 
increase to the amount of their corn." — M. H. Hayes, " T)ai?ii?ig and 
Horse Management in India,'" pp. 77, yS. 

" Of the quantity to be given experience is also our best guide. The 
regulation cavalry allowance of ten pounds per diem unquestionably is suf- 
ficent for horses in ordinary work. This weight is about equivalent to what 
is usually understood as three feeds. But where the work is severe, horses 
should be allowed as much oats as they will eat. Hunters so fed will not 
consume on the average of the winter more than from fourteen to fifteen 
pounds or possibly sixteen per diem. Large carriage horses in ordinary 
gentleman's work require fourteen pounds per day. On this allowance they 
ought to be kept in the best possible condition." — Sir F. Fitzwygram, 
" Horses and Stables,^'' p. jy. 

" The Daily Aliowatice of oats is very variable. Hunters and racers 
receive almost as much as they will eat during the season of work. The 



398 



CRUSHED AND BRUISED OATS. 



quantity for these horses varies from twelve to sixteen or eighteen pounds 
per day. Stage and mail horses get about the same allowance. Some will 
not consume above fourteen pounds, others will manage nearly eighteen. In 
most stables some other corn is used. For every pound of barley or beans 
that may be given, rather more than an equal weight is taken off the ordinary 
allowance of oats. Saddle horses receive about twelve pounds of oats, cart 
horses from ten to fourteen."— y<?/i?2 Stewart, " Stable Economy,'" p. igg. 





FIG. 203. 



FIG. 204. 



APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS OF ROUND QUART MEASURES. 
DIAMETER. DEPTH. 

1 qt. 5 3-8 inches. 2 7-8 inches. 

2 qt. 6 3-4 inches. 3 3-4 inches. 
4 qt. 81-2 inches. 4 3-4 inches. 

" Where we cannot always be present and must trust to subordinates, 
the only way is to make a fair, liberal, but not profuse allowance ; and if 
things on that allowance are done well, it is bad policy to notice any little 
advantage those subordinates may derive on particular occasions. 

" We now come to the kind of horse I will suppose the reader about to 
keep, namely, a moderate sized one, for moderate work in harness or for the 
saddle. For such a horse, four quarterns* of corn and a trussf of hay in 
four days are quite sufficient ; if a horse, merely to ride for an airing, three 
quarterns are enough with perhaps a trifling addition in that case to his hay." 
— Charles Brindley, " The Pocket and the Stud,'' pp. 126, 127. 

CRUSHED AND BRUISED OATS. 

" Next to having oats good and of a proper age, it is a matter of vast 
importance to give them crushed or bruised to all horses ; for this an oat 
bruiser is desirable, as they should be bruised fresh and fresh, that is, I should 

* Four quarterns equal one peck. f One truss is equal to 56 lbs. 



THE PURCHASE OF OATS. 399 

say, once a week ; the advantage to the horses is very great. If horses are 
delicate, they eat them, better ; if greedy, their bolting them is of less con- 
sequence ; and with all horses they digest better and go further in point of 
nutriment." — Charles Brindley, " The Pocket and the Stud,'' p. i2§. 

" It will save considerable waste to have the oats bruised in a mill ; the 
cost of one is only five or six pounds ; the trouble of it, nothing. I was 
never aware of the quantity of dirt and impurities to be found even in clean 
oats till a friend recently showed me the siftings of his bruising mill ; such 
rubbish in the stomach of a horse cannot but be most injurious ; the princi- 
pal object, however, in bruising the corn, is to assist the mastication, and, of 
course, the digestion. The oats frequently pass through the stomach and 
bowels without being broken, especially in horses that are fast feeders ; I 
think it is no exaggeration to say that three feeds of bruised oats will convey 
as much nutriment to the animal as four that are not bruised." — Sir George 
Stephen, " The Adventures of a Gentleman in Search of a Horse,'' p. 165 

THE PURCHASE OF OATS. 

There are many tricks resorted to whereby the samples 
are made misleading ; thus by pouring oats very slowly into 
the measure, they pack closely together and weigh more per 
quart than if poured in hastily. The same deceptive effect 
is produced by removing the down from the husks by friction, 
which allows the grain to form in a more solid mass. 
Again oats that have been dampened will be of apparently 
Sfood weight as will those which have been mixed with a 
small amount of sand or dirt. The simplest and surest way 
to avoid such deceptions is not to confine the inspection to 
a sample, but to submit the entire consignment to the various 
tests. Another method of testing oats is to take a two-quart 
measure full of each sample and after thoroughly sifting 
each lot weigh them separately. Those weighing the most 
contain proportionally more nutriment. Sir F. Fitzwygram 
recommends the following method : 



400 THE WEIGHT AND PRICE OF OATS. 

" The best plan, however, of testing the true weight is by means of a 
very simple machine which can be made by any carpenter. Make a box 30 
inches deep by 12 x 12 inches, which will hold about i^ bushels. At the 
bottom make a hole 4^ x 4^ inches, and fit it with a sliding door underneath, 
which must fit easy, and fill it with oats. 

" Underneath the box, at a distance of five inches below it, place the 
bushel measure. Draw back the door and let the oats run through. When 
the bushel is rather more than full, push back the door. Then ' strike ' the 
measure and weigh the bushel and its contents. Deduct the weight of the 
measure, and you have the natural or trade weight of the oats. In the 
bushel legal measure, the depth is not to exceed one-half of the diameter." — 
" Horses and Stables,'" p. 41. 

For this purpose a bushel measure, its accuracy guar- 
anteed by a stamp on the bottom, should be bought. 

THE WEIGHT AND PRICE. 

Oats are sold usually by the bag, each bag containing two 
bushels, and although estimated by the bushel, oats are in 
reality dealt in by weight and not by measure. The legal 
weight varies in the different states between thirty and thirty- 
three pounds to the bushel, but in the majority thirty-two 
pounds is the weight prescribed by law. A bag of oats, 
therefore, should weigh not less than sixty-five pounds, one 
pound being the weight of the bag. Good oats, however, 
should weigh between forty and forty-five pounds to the 
measured bushel. Above that weight oats are called "fan- 
cies," and command a still higher price. The price varies 
between thirty and fifty cents per bushel according to the 
quality, time of the year and size of the crop. Thirty-eight 
cents is a fair average price. 



BRAN AND SHORTS. 401 

BRAN AND SHORTS. 

Bran is the generic term including "shorts," the latter 
being the form generally used, as it signifies that part of 
bran having the most body. Bran is the husk or envelope 
of the wheat grains; the outer part of this skin is said to be 
indigestible and acts as a laxative, while the inner part, by 
converting starchy substances into sugar, aids the process 
of digestion. The properties of bran are not generally 
understood, and consequently it is greatly misused. Dry 
bran has an astringent effect and may be used to counter- 
act the effects of an overdose of physic, or to soften water 
that is too hard. Bran costs a little less than one cent per 
pound. 

" Bran is also most useful where we find water hard or a horse subject 
to be affected by it, indeed it is always a safe precaution to use it where we 
are not certain of its nature ; a few handfuls stirred in will render hard 
water safe and innocuous even to delicate horses." — Charles Brindley, 
" Pocket and the Stud," p. ijy. 

When bran is given as a laxative, under ordinary condi- 
tions it should be given cold. When given warm its effi- 
ciency as an aperient is increased. As a horse that is in a 
low condition or suffering from any inflammatory trouble 
requires to have his strength increased and not reduced, 
mashes should never under such circumstances be given, 
though it is the general practice among stablemen to give 
mashes irrespective of the nature of the ailment. 

For covering the mash a thick cloth may be used or a 
couple of handfuls of dry bran scattered on the surface. 
Mashes should be given to horses for five or six consecutive 
feeds before administering physic, as it prevents gripes, and 
enables a mild dose to operate thoroughly, thus obviatino- 



402 BRAN AND SHORTS. 

the necessity of the objectionable use of stronger physic. 
When it is not convenient to mix chaff with the oats, a 
handful of dry bran mixed with the grain will often prevent 
a horse from bolting his food. 

" Nothing can be more anomalous than the ophiion entertained on 
the use of bran, as it obtains in many quarters. Believed to be non-nutri- 
tious, it is given largely during disease, to ward off critical inflammation, 
which a diet of corn might increase ; but why it is persisted in with animals 
suffering from general prostration and weakening complaints is quite 
paradoxical. 

" It is a very common practice in some places to leave the bran mash, 
even for days, before the sick animal. The mixture ferments, fouls the 
woodwork, and nauseates the sufferer, who shows his disgust by stand- 
ing as far away as his chain will allow, 

" As a laxative, bran is justly called into requisition periodically as a 
warm mash for animals in whom there exists an innate disposition to consti- 
pation. I place the action of a bran mash, given occasionally, as one of 
the safest, most natural and acceptable adjuncts toward the preservation of 
health ; which effect is produced with more benefit and less deterioration 
to the system than by any other means. There are few horses that will not 
take it when offered as a change, and I would recommend, especially 
in winter, that it be given at the temperature of new milk, not cold, and 
the use of it should not be insisted upon indiscriminately, or ill effects 
are speedily shown." — George Armatage, " How to Feed the Horse," 
p. 84. 

" A bran mash should be made as follows : The bran [about six quarts. 
— Ed.] should be placed in a clean pail and as much boiling water poured 
in as the bran will absorb. Half an ounce of salt may be added, and the 
whole should be covered up to keep the steam until sufficiently cool." — 
Sir F. Fitzwygra7n, " Horses and Stables," p. 62. 

" Horses that get a full amount of corn should, as a rule, have a bran 
or a bran and linseed mash once or twice a week, say on Wednesday and 
Saturday nights. It will tend to remove any irritation of the intestines 
caused by the grains." — M. H. Hayes, " Training and Horse Management 
in India," p. y8. 



OATMEAL AND H-0. 403 

OATMEAL. 
" Gruel made from oatmeal is palatable and refreshing to a tired horse. 
The stomach seems to assimilate it more readily than hard corn. The very 
best fresh coarsely ground oatmeal should be used. Good gruel is made 
by putting about a double handful of oatmeal into a pail and pouring on it 
a little cold water. After being well stirred a gallon and a half of hot but 
not boiling water must be added and the whole stirred again. Boiling water 
should not be used because it produces a more starchy compound than is 
suitable for the stomach of the horse in an exhausted condition. The tem- 
perature should be reduced to that of new milk before given ; if the horse 
is very much overtasked it may be advisable to add to it a wineglassful of 
spirits or a pint of ale." — Sir F. Fitzwygram, ^^ Horses and Stables ^^ p. 62. 

Gruel may also be made of linseed, as described under 
linseed. 

" Oatmeal, in the form of gruel, constitutes one of the most important 
articles of diet for the sick horse ; not indeed forced upon him, but a pail 
containing it being slung in his box, and of which he will soon begin to 
drink when water is denied. Few grooms make good gruel; it is either 
not boiled long enough, or a sufficient quantity of oatmeal has not been 
used. The proportions should be, a pound of meal thrown into a gallon 
of water, and kept constantly stirred until it boils, and five minutes after- 
wards. 

" White water, made by stirring a pint of oatmeal in a pail of water, 
the chill being taken from it, is an excellent beverage for the thirsty and 
tired horse."— Williatn Youatt, " The Horse;' p. 133. 

II-O. 
H-O (the residuum of oatmeal manufactured for table 
use) has been recommended to the writer by many who have 
successfully employed it as fodder. It is considered a cheap 
form of food for horses out of work, and when mixed with 
oats is an excellent substitute for a pure oat diet for horses 
in work. It is sold in sacks of one hundred pounds and 
costs about fifty cents per sack. 



404 LINSEED AND BEANS. 

LINSEED. 

Linseed, like bran, is an aperient, but, unlike the latter, 
it may be employed to advantage in toning up a horse with 
a cough or in a debilitated condition or for improving the 
coat. It is too nutritious to be given to a horse with fever. 
It may be given raw, either whole or ground, but it is gen- 
erally used in the form of a mash, either alone or mixed with 
dry bran or oats. In preparing the mash half a pound 
should be used for each horse, and the seed thrown into 
boiling water by the handful. Just enough water should be 
used to keep the seed covered. As soon as the seeds burst 
the pot should be removed from the fire and the mash given 
to the horse before it has become cold. When linseed tea 
is to be made, one pound of seed should be put in a vessel 
and a gallon of boiling water poured over the linseed. The 
seed should not be boiled. The liquid part should be given 
when lukewarm, and the residuum may be used in the form 
of a mash for any of the other horses. As a demulcent the 
linseed should be boiled to a jelly and left until cold before 
being used. An ounce of seed to a pint of water is the 
proper proportion when the seed is to be used as a counter- 
irritant. 

BEANS. 

Beans have an extremely heating effect on horses, and 
for this reason should not be given to such animals as are 
compelled to perform fast work. Old beans, which are hard, 
dry, plump and sweet, may be given to advantage when the 
work is slow and prolonged. Under these circumstances or 
when the work necessitates the horse being kept out for 
any length of time in inclement weather, beans make a very 




X 
a, 

Q o 

^ -s 

— c 

X 'B 

a, H 

H 2? 

a. 

0^ 2 

P Oh 

o - 

o -S 

O rt 

2 I 

Z iTj 

tlj Oh 

N -y) 



MALT, OIL CAKE AND GREEN FODDER. 405 

good form of fodder. They are also serviceable in keeping 
flesh on nervously constituted horses that are inclined to 
be soft. Whenever beans are given they should be at. least 
a year old and split or bruised, not crushed. As they have 
a tendency to produce colic, they should never be given 
immediately before exercise. When a horse has been ex- 
posed to a hard day's work in cold or wet weather a quart, 
about two pounds, of beans may be mixed with his grain at 
the time of the evening feeding. In giving beans for fat- 
tening purposes the same amount may be similarly given 
two or three times a week. 

MALT. 

" I have alluded to, as a useful occasional article for stable use ; and 
made into a mash after a long day, or where we think a horse feels chilled 
and uncomfortable, it will sometimes be taken by horses shy of a bran one ; 
and in such cases is a most nourishing and consoling supper; it is most 
useful where horses are recovering from illness. ... In a similar case a 
malt mash will be found as soothing and comfortable to the stomach of a 
horse." — Charles Brindley, " The Pocket and the Stud," p. ij8. 

OIL CAKE. 

Oil cake is frequently employed for the purpose of im- 
proving the horse's coat. From two to four pounds may be 
given daily and should be ground and mixed with the other 
food. 

GREEN FODDER. 

All roots, such as carrots, turnips, etc., should be washed 
before they are boiled, and even when given green it is 
advisable to clean them. 

Carrots take the place of grass as a green food for winter 
use and may be given to advantage once or twice a week. 



406 GREEN FODDER. 

When given as a variation they should be mixed with a 
mash or a feed of oats, but if a horse is off his feed they 
may be given alone and each day. Care must be taken in 
cutting the roots, as they are apt to cause choking when 
cut transversely ; they should be cut lengthwise one or more 
times. From two to six pounds may be given at a feeding. 
One bushel weighs 54 pounds and costs about seventy cents. 

Swedish turnips and mangel-wurzels form an inferior 
green fodder to carrots, but are cheaper and serve as a very 
fair substitute when a failure of the carrot crop causes the 
price of that root to advance to a point which is prohibitive. 
Turnips and mangels may be given in the same manner 
and quantity as carrots. The legal weight of turnips and 
mangels is 55 pounds to the bushel in the majority of the 
states. 

Grass, considered as a condiment to a horse's diet, is 
superior to any other, as it not only possesses to a greater 
degree the desirable laxative effects, but is highly nutritious. 
It should be sweet and preferably clover. When given to 
horses in hard work, it is advisable to limit the amount by 
having a bundle cut and fed out sparingly at first, or by 
taking the horse out on a lead rein instead of turning him 
out to pasture, as in the latter case a horse is apt to purge 
himself or fall a victim to colic. When feeding cut grass to 
horses it is very important that it should be sweet and fresh, 
as it is apt, when left standing a day or so, to become hot 
and ferment. A couple of handfuls each day is sufficient 
for the first week, when, if it does not act as too great a 
laxative, a greater amount may be given until it commences 
to affect the color of the droppings. 



FATTENING AND CHEAPER FOODS. 



407 



FATTENING FOOD. 

Such foods are employed generally for putting flesh on 
horses rapidly without regard to their working condition. 
Horses are thus " put in flesh and coat" for the purpose of 
improving their appearance at the time of sales or horse 
shows, but to the cost of their ability to perform any hard or 
protracted work. As instances may occur when the reader 
may desire to have recourse to such methods, a few of these 
food compounds are here given : 

Chopped clover. Indian meal. Boiled linseed. 

Bran and malt ferment- Locust beans, finely Crushed oats. 

ground. Potatoes. 

Aniseed. Linseed mashes. 

Gentian root. 



ed with a little yeast. 
Ginger (powdered). 



CHEAPER FOODS (sO CALLED). 

In large breweries and other commercial establishments 
where many horses are employed a cent a day saved on each 
horse amounts to quite a sum at the end of a year; and in 
such places, where all the conditions under which the horses 
are used and the manner in which they are cared for is dif- 
ferent from those of a private stable, some such mixture as is 
here given may result in sufficient saving to induce its being 
used in place of the usual fodder. 

6 lbs. corn meal. 

3 lbs. cut hay. 

2 qts. wheat bran. 

I teaspoonful of salt. 

Mix with sufficient water to moisten, not make sloppy. 

This formula is only given because a private owner often 
is induced to experiment with various substitutes for oats. 
There is nothing that has yet stood the test, and all horse 



408 SALT AND THE QUALITY OF WATER. 

owners unite in declaring oats — the best oats, though they 
cost more than poor ones — to be the cheapest. 

SALT. 

All horses require salt, and to satisfy this demand it is 
customary to keep a piece of rock salt, weighing two or 
three pounds, in the manger or a brick of finer salt in a 
holder at the head of the stall. As some horses are apt to 
consume more and others less than they should, the writer 
prefers the method of mixing a little table salt with the 
grain. One or two ounces divided so that some is given 
with each feed of oats will be sufficient. 

THE QUALITY OF WATER. 

" The kind of water preferred for horses is that which is soft. Hard 
water seems to be quite as good after the horse has become accustomed to 
it. At first it disorders the skin and bowels a little ; the hair stares and the 
skin is rigid ; the bowels are relaxed, and at fast work the horse is apt to 
purge. In two or three weeks, often in as many days, he regains his usual 
appearance, and continues to thrive as well on this hard water as he pre- 
viously did on the soft. 

" Hard water may be softened a little by boiling it, and the addition of 
about an ounce of the carbonate of soda to every pailful of water renders 
it softer, but not, so far as I know, more fit for drinking. A change from 
hard to soft water does not seem to produce any visible effect upon the 
horse."— /(?//« Stewart, "Stable Economy,'' p. 322. 

" There is nothing in which the different effect of hard and soft water 
is so evident as in the stomach and digestive organs of the horse. Hard 
water, drawn fresh from the well, will assuredly make the coat of a horse 
unaccustomed to it stare, and it will not unfrequently gripe and otherwise in- 
jure him." — William Youatt, " The Horse,'' p. 138. 

" Soft water is generally considered preferable to hard, although I have 
never known any bad results accrue to horses in India from the use of well 
water that was good for human consumption. The hard water of some lime- 



THE TEMPERATURE AND QUANTITY OF WATER. 409 

stone districts in England, being loaded with mineral matter, is apt to cause 
colic when taken cold and in large quantities, especially when the stomach 
is full, or weakened by long fasting. I prefer well water in India to that 
obtained from rivers. Water from swamps or stagnant pools should not be 
used." — M. H. Hayes, " Training and Horse Management in India," p. 8i. 

THE TEMPERATURE OF WATER. 

" The chill need not be taken off water, except when the horse is 
very thirsty and the water unusally cold." — M. H. Hayes, " Training and 
Horse Management in India," p. 8i. 

" He is injured, however, not so much by the hardness of the well 
water as by its coldness, particularly in summer, and when it is many de- 
grees below the temperature of the atmosphere. The water in the brook 
and the pond being warmed by long exposure to the air, as well as having 
become soft, the horse drinks freely of it without danger." — Wiiliam Youatt, 
" The Horse," p. 138. 

" In the stables of valuable horses considerable attention is paid to the 
temperature of the water. If too cold, or supposed to be too cold, it is 
warmed, either by adding hot water or by letting it stand a few hours in 
the stable or in the sun before it is given. Sometimes a handful of meal or of 
bran is thrown into the water, to take the cold air off it." — yoAn Stewart, 
" Stable Economy" p. 323. 

THE QUANTITY OF WATER. 

" A very thirsty horse should never be permitted to take so much as he 
pleases at one draught. A little given at intervals of fifteen or twenty 
minutes till his thirst is quenched will prevent all danger, and the horse will 
take less upon the whole than he would take at first in one draught. When 
a horse is very thirsty, he will take more than he needs and more than is 
safe. 

" I would not speak confidently, but I am disposed to believe that there 
is no good reason for constant restriction, and that the evils which grooms 
fear are those which arise from a large draught of water, given at once, and 
especially when the horse is going to work. They carry restriction so far 
that the horse is always thirsty, and if he accidentally reach a large quantity 
he is almost sure to drink too much. 



410 TIME OF FEEDING AND WATERING. 

" The effects of cold water vary according to the quantity given, and 
according to the state of the horse. Two or three quarts will not do any 
harm, or at the most it will set the coat on end. If the horse be very hot, 
this small quantity is very refreshing to him, and may be given with perfect 
safety. If the day be very warm, and the horse kept in gentle motion, 
twice or thrice as much will do no harm, however warm the horse may be. 
Yet none should be given till one or two minutes after the horse is pulled up. 
Let him recover his wind for a minute before he drinks. A large quantity, 
say a pailful, of very cold water to a horse at rest, not heated by exertion, 
may make him shiver or it may produce pain of the belly, cramp of the 
bowels." — John Stewart, " Stable Economy,^'' p. J24 et seq. 

" The best plan regarding the water of horses in the stable is to allow 
them a constant supply of it in their stalls. If this cannot be done, they 
ought to be watered before each feed, or at least twice a day in cold weather, 
and three times in hot. 

" However hot and perspiring a horse may be, he should get his water 
at once before he cools down ; but if he cannot get it until he is cool, he 
should be given a smaller amount, and some more at intervals of five 
minutes or so." — M. H. Hayes, ^^ Training and Horse Management in 
Ifidia,'' p. 80. 

TIME OF FEEDING AND WATERING. 

When horses are employed in regular work, i. e., cover- 
ing from eight to twelve miles day in and day out, it has 
been found advisable to divide the daily allowance of fodder 
into four feeds ; but in the average private stable circum- 
stances usually make it most convenient to feed the horses 
three times per day. In the morning, at 6 a. m., the horses 
should be given all the water they will take and from four 
to six pounds of hay. At the time the servants go to their 
breakfast the grain should be given. The horses should 
be again watered at half past eleven, and at twelve receive 
their second feed of grain. At five-thirty p. m. they should 
be given an amount of water according to the work they have 



BEDDING. 411 

done or are about to do, and from six to eight pounds of 
hay. At six p. m. or at the time the servants go to their 
supper the last feed of grain should be given. In warm 
weather, just before the stable is closed for the night, the 
horses should be allowed all the water they will drink. The 
morning feeding is the only one that can be regularly ad- 
hered to in point of time; the remaining two must be 
dependent upon the hours the owner chooses to employ his 
horses. 

In connection with feeding, the subject of the condition 
of the horse's teeth and kidneys must be considered. From 
time to time the head servant should examine the teeth, and 
whenever any sharp points are discovered the teeth should 
be filed. The loss of condition and the presence of undi- 
gested grains in the droppings are the usual indications of 
the teeth being out of order. As the same ill effects are 
produced by a horse bolting his food, the true source of the 
trouble should be ascertained, and if it is due to the latter 
cause a few stones the size of plums should be placed in 
the manger. Any disorder of the kidneys or bladder is 
indicated by the effort the horse makes to pass water and 
by its dark, unnatural color. When such conditions make 
it evident that these organs are deranged the symptoms 
should be carefully noted and an effort made to discover the 
source of the trouble. For the treatment of simple cases, 
see Sir F. Fitzwygram's " Horses and Stables," Fourth Edi- 
tion, Chapters LV and LVI. 

BEDDING. 

The following articles are used for bedding : wheat, rye 
and oat straw, peat moss, shavings, sawdust, leaves and turf. 



412 BEDDING. 

RYE AND WHEAT STRAW. 

Rye straw is to be preferred in point of appearance to all 
other forms of bedding, but its use in most stables is barred 
owing to its high cost. 

Wheat straw is the best for the average well conducted 
establishment. Owing to a self-evident fallacy, it is com- 
monly supposed that the use of long pieces of straw, such as 
are found in wheat and rye, is more economical than short 
straw, such as oat or barley. The straw itself lasts longer, 
being less apt to mat down, but when one end becomes wet 
and soiled the entire piece has to be thrown away, whereas 
with oat straw much less of the unsoiled is lost. When 
economy has to be practised, it will be found advisable to 
avoid the use of either rye or wheat straw. Oat straw should 
be of secondary choice in luxuriously kept stables, though it 
is by no means an undesirable form of bedding. 

PEAT MOSS. 

Peat moss is a natural product which is being introduced 
to take the place of straw as bedding. It can be used to ad- 
vantage in summer or for wintering horses not in use, but it 
is advisable to give a horse in hard work the warm clean 
bed that straw affords. It is cool, soft and requires less 
attention than straw. It is estimated that one ton of moss 
is equal to two tons of straw. One stall requires a little 
less than one bale. Box stalls require about a bale and a 
half. Peat moss is sold in bales of about three hundred 
pounds and costs $io per ton in New York, 6 bales to 
the ton. 

SHAVINGS. 

Shavings are used where economy has to be practised, 
and are inferior to the other forms of bedding mentioned. 



BEDDING. 413 

They are fit only for keeping a horse in a rough state, and 
cannot be recommended for use in a private stable. They 
are put up in bales weighing about loo pounds and cost 
$ioper ton in New York. 

SAWDUST. 
" Sawdust makes an excellent bed, and in many places it may be obtained 
at half the cost of straw. About lOo pounds per week is sufficient to keep 
up a bed for one horse. Care must, however, be taken to entirely remove 
and renew the sawdust at least once a week. Sawdust is an absorbent of 
urine and also a deodorizer. From this latter quality its impure state is 
often not recognized." — F. Fitzwygram, " Horses and Stables,'" p. g^. 

LEAVES. 

Leaves make an excellent bedding for country stables, 
but from their untidy appearance are limited in their use. 
They are desirable as a fertilizer after being thus used, and 
are more economical than any other article of the same 
efficiency. 

TURF. 

Turf has been tried to the writer's knowledge in Europe, 
in times of scarcity of straw, with fair resulrs. It is not 
recommended for the private stables except in special or 
emergency cases. 

BARLEY STRAW. 

Barley straw should never be used, as it acts as an irri- 
tant to the skin and causes bad coats. Meadow and marsh 
hay are likewise objectionable, and if eaten by a horse are 
conducive to colic and diseases of the organs of respiration. 
The existence of the latter effect is made evident by a hack- 
ing cough, impaired use of the lungs, and the horse becomes 
logy if allowed to eat it. 



414 BEDDING DOWN. 

BEDDING DOWN. 

In bedding down stalls, stable servants go from the ex- 
treme of using so little straw that it is almost worse than 
useless, to the costly, luxurious one of consuming from two 
to three times the actual amount required. From three to 
five pounds of straw will comfortably bed down a horse 
in the averaQ:e size stall and from four to seven in a loose box. 
Much of the common waste results from the unwillingness 
of grooms to take the trouble of drying out the wet, un- 
soiled parts, or from the fact that the facilities for so doing 
are not at their command. Each morning the top of the 
bedding should be taken out and dried in the sun, the under 
part which is matted and soiled should alone be thrown away. 

A wooden fork (see Fig. 205) should always be used 
about the stall part of the stable, to the exclusion of those 
made of steel, on account of the danger of injury to the 
horse's eyes, etc. The two-prong steel fork (see Fig. 206) 
may be used in the hayloft, and the five-prong fork (see 
Fig. 207 ) in the manure pit. 

" To a hard working horse a good bed is almost as essential as food. 
Many stablemen cannot make it ; it should be as level and equal as a mat- 
tress ; there should be no lumps in the litter; it should come well back, 
and slope from each side and from the head towards the centre. Now it is 
not difficult to make a good bed ; anybody may learn it in a few days, or 
else his hands are not much worth. But no one thinks of learning such a 
thing. Those who become expert at it cannot help their expertness. They 
never tried to obtain it ; practice gave it them before they knew it was 
of any use. But for all this it may be learned. Show the man how to use 
the fork, and how to spread the litter ; give him a pattern bed in one stall, 
and make him work in the next two hours every day for a week. If he 
cannot learn it in this time — the operation is really worth the trouble — the 
man will never learn anything," — John Stewart, " Stable Economy,'' p. 136. 



FORKS. 



415 



FIG. 205. 



FIG. 206. FIG. 207. 



416 



PURCHASING BEDDING. 



Horses that eat their bedding 
may be prevented from continuing 
the habit by the use of a muzzle (see 
Fig. 208) or a strong solution of 
aloes sprinkled on such parts of the 
straw as are within the reach of the 
animal's head. For those horses 
which destroy their bed by pawing 
the only efhcient preventative is the 
use of hobbles. (See Fig. 209.) 

PURCHASING BEDDING. 

In purchasing bedding a choice 
should be made of the various kinds of 
straw, peat moss, shavings or leaves. 

The purchase of any one of these 
articles is made by bales at so many 
pounds to each bale. It matters 
little of what size these bales are, if 
the weight 
weight are 



and price per hundred 
oiven. Care must be 




FIG. 208. 




FIG. 209. 



taken, however, to see that the qual- 
ity and weight are as represented. 
Wheat, oat and rye straw are 
in the spring, in conse- 
of the cost incident to 
; the prices of the other 
of bedding are more sta- 
The price of wheat straw 
between $18 and $25 per 
ton. Peat moss costs $\o per ton, 
and shavings about the same. Rye 



dearest 
quence 
storage 
articles 
tionary 
varies 



PURCHASING BEDDING. 



417 



commands between $17 and ^20 per ton. As leaves and 
like forms of bedding have no standing commercial value 
no price can be given. 

TABLE OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 



bale 



HAY. 

I ton - - 2,000 lbs, 
300 lbs. 
varies 50 lbs. 

I ton loose hay occupies 
a space of about 500 
cubic feet. 

I ton baled hay occupies 
a space of about ten 
cubic yards. 

No allowance is made 
for weight of bale 
sticks and wire. 

I load of hay contains 
thirty-six trusses, each 
truss weighing about 
fifty-six lbs. 

To estimate the quantity 
of loose hay in a mow, 
multiply the height, 
the depth and width 
of the hay in feet 
and divide by 500. 

To find the cost of hay 
per pound, multiply 
the number of pounds 
by half the price and 
remove the decimal 
point three places to 
the left. 



I ton 
I bale 



STRAW. 

- 2,000 lbs. 
250 lbs. 
varies 50 lbs. 

I ton loose straw occu- 
pies a space of about 
600 cubic feet. 

I ton baled straw occu- 
pies a space of about 
1 2 cubic yards. 

No allowance is made 
for weight of bale 
sticks and wire. 

I load of straw contains 
thirty-six trusses, each 
weighingabout thirty- 
six lbs. 

To estimate the quantity 
of loose straw, find the 
number of cubic feet 
it occupies and divide 
by six hundred. 

The cost of straw per 
pound may be found 
by the same method 
as that given for find- 
ing the cost of hay. 



OATS. 



quart 
quartern 
peck 
bushel 
bag - - 



- I lb. 

2 lbs. 

8 lbs. 
32 lbs. 
65 lbs. 



I lb. of which is for 
the weight of the bag. 

- I quart. 
I quartern. 

- I peck. 
I bushel. 

- I bag. 
I chaldron. 



2 pints 

2 quarts 

8 quarts 

4 pecks 

2 bushels 

Tyd bushels 

I pt. 33.600 cubic ins. 

I qt. 67.200 cubic ins. 

I pk- 537.605 cubic ins. 

I bush. 

2150.42 cubic ins. 

To find the number of 
bushels in a bin, mul- 
tiply the number of 
cubic feet by eight 
and poirt off one 
place to the left. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



BLANKETING, GROOMING, BANDAGING AND SHOEING. 




The general care of 
horses demands the exer- 
cise of more judgment and 
thought than is usually 
bestowed upon the subject 
by the average stable ser- 
vant. A precautionary ac- 
tion at a critical moment 
or a keen perception of 
the requirements of some 
particular case often pre- 
vents a cold from developing into a more serious complica- 
tion or similar accidents from occurrinor. Jt is in such 
apparently little matters as the feeding of a proper amount 
of grain to a horse, the judicious use of rugs and blankets, 
the regulation of the amount of exercise, etc., which deter- 
mine the worth of a stable servant as measured by the 
practical items of the cost of maintaining the stable and in 
what degree the horses, carriages, etc., are kept in a condition 
of usefulness. The subjects dealt with in this and the re- 
maining chapters are those which comprise the coachman's 
chief responsibility. He cannot have constantly the benefit of 
the owner's foresight and intelligence, hence, if his mental 
calibre is too small and the master is a man who under- 
stands the proper management of his stable, the servant's 

418 



BLANKETING. 419 

period of service must be very short. The tribulations of 
most owners is due to the fact that they are in very much 
the same position as a blind man leading the blind. 

BLANKETING. 

It may be said that the majority of horses, in artificially 
heated stables, receive too much so-called attention, that is, 
they are over-clothed, and as a result they easily contract 
colds when taken into the lower temperature of the out- 
door atmosphere. In the spring and fall the sudden changes 
from time to time make it necessary, or should do so, for 
the servant to constantly alter the clothing. At these sea- 
sons it is more than likely we find the horses sweltering or 
standing chilled with cold legs and ears. When the latter 
conditions exist the coldness of extremities indicates that 
the animal temperature is unduly lowered. 

Each horse should be provided with two kersey blankets 
and a night rug, each weighing about seven pounds; the two 
blankets to be used together as day blankets in the winter, 
and over the rug at night time if the weather is very 
cold. In spring and fall the blankets should be used 
separately. For the summer season serge blankets are 
preferable to linen sheets, as the former are cooler in 
consequence of the texture of the material being more 
open and its absorption of any sweat. Moreover, serge 
sheets protect the horses from feeling the sudden changes 
in temperature. 

The following table may be of service to the tyro in 
directinor his servant res^ardino- the use of clothinq; for the 
horses. Here again no hard and fast rules can be laid down, 
but aside from special local conditions and circumstances 



420 NIGHT AND EXERCISING CLOTHING. 

the relation of the amount of clothing to the temperature 
should be very uniform. 

35° or lower . . 3 blankets, each weighing seven pounds. 
2 blankets, each weighing seven pounds. 
I blanket, weighing seven pounds. 
I blanket, weighing five pounds. 
I serge or linen sheet, weighing one pound. 



35 -45 • • 
45°-6o°. . 
6o°-7o° . . , 
70° and above 



NIGHT CLOTHING. 



As the night clothing is unavoidably soiled, rugs instead 
of blankets are recommended. They are not only cheap, 
but serve their purpose quite as well as a more expensive 
article. Blanket pins are used to keep the clothing close 
at the neck. Although hoods are not absolute necessities, 
one at least, a heavy one weighing three and one half pounds 
of kersey, should be kept in every stable of three or more 
horses for use in case of sickness, etc. 

EXERCISING CLOTHING. 

Occasions frequently arise when a horse has to be exer- 
cised in clothing ; under such circumstances the night blan- 
kets may be used and afterwards brushed and dried. Unless 
a niq-ht set of rus^s is at hand an exercisinsf set should be 
used, as the sweat absorbed soon renders the blanket air- 
proof and unfit to be used as a covering in the stable. The 
regular exercising blanket is so arranged, by the use of a 
breast-cloth (see Fig. 167, p. 296), that the action of the 
fore legs is not impeded at each step by the pressure of the 
clothing about the chest and shoulders. This is a matter 
of importance, and whatever style of clothing is used, care 
should be taken to either use a pair of long leather straps 



MEANS OF SECURING THE HORSE. 421 

or their equivalent in order to insure the animal getting 
the full benefit of the outing. 

DRESS CLOTHING. 

In the majority of large stables one or more sets of 
dress clothing are kept, consisting of a blanket made slightly 
smaller all around than that for ordinary use, and instead of 
fastening in front the blanket is rounded off at the shoulders, 
and the chest is protected by a breast-cloth ; a hood, roller, 
roller cloth and pad complete the full suit. 

MEANS OF SECURING THE HORSE. 

For the average horse the ordinary head-collar or halter 
will be found sufficiently secure, but when it happens that 
the horse slips his collar, a strap with a buckle at one end 
should be fastened to the crown-piece and the ends brought 
tightly together under the jowl. Horses that have the habit 
of pulling back in their stalls may sometimes be broken of 
the habit by looping one end of the rope around the tail and 
passing the other end through the halter before fastening it. 
The halter shank may be of either rope or leather : chain is 
objectionable, as it cannot be so readily cut away in case of 
accident. The end opposite the buckle should be run 
throuo-h a rino^ driven into the wall about three feet eio^ht 
inches above the floor. To the end of the strap or cord 
should be attached a round block of wood or lignum-vitae of 
sufificient weight to take up any slack of the halter shank. 
If the weight is attached at a point which, when it is brought 
in contact with the ring in the wall, will just allow the 
buckle end to touch the ground, there will be but little risk 
of the horse getting his feet caught. 



422 GROOMING AND SIGNS OF BAD GROOMING. 

GROOMING. 

The primary object of grooming is to stimulate the circu- 
lation and keep the system in a normal condition of cleanli- 
ness. This can only be done by removing the worn-out 
tissues of the cuticle or outer skin as well as the dust and 
dirt which become matted at the roots of the hair and 
obstruct the oil glands in their function of excretion. These 
innumerable pores are the drains or outlets for whatever the 
system rejects, and unless these channels are kept open the 
health of the horse becomes impaired. The secondary 
object, that of producing a glossiness to the coat, is treated 
as the primary one by most masters and servants ; hence the 
groom taxes his ingenuity to produce silken coats with the 
expenditure of as little muscular force as is compatible with 
a fair amount of success. 

SIGNS OF BAD GROOMING. 

Grooming is the hardest work a stableman has to per- 
form, and his preparation for the task will give some indica- 
tion of how thoroughly he contemplates doing his work. If 
the man appears in his ordinary clothes and merely removes 
his coat or hat, the reader may safely conclude that the 
primary object of grooming will be entirely neglected, and 
the secondary one obtained by a very inadequate and insuf- 
ficient amount of manual labor. A good groom will make 
his first appearance in the morning dressed in a fiannel shirt 
and a pair of old trousers, prepared for " a sweat." 

Many otherwise good coachmen cannot or will not 
thoroughly clean a horse, and an owner should satisfy any 
suspicions of negligence by passing his fingers through the 
horse's coat, against the hair, especially about the mane. 



SIGNS OF BAD GROOMING. 423 

under the jaw, the inner sides of the legs, the hollow above 
the hocks and up the centre of the back. If a white line of 
dust or dandruff marks the direction the hand has taken, or 
the roots of the hair are filled with dirt, it may be concluded 
that the grooming has been omitted or carelessly performed. 
Bad grooming is again shown when the sunshine falls on the 
horse's rough coat from the rear: the dust and dirt are then 
unavoidably detected. The continuous dropping of loose 
hair on the lap-robes and clothes of the occupants of a 
carriage at other times than in the spring and fall, when the 
horse is shedding, is another evidence that sufficient " elbow 
grease " is not being used. When such " accidents " are 
blamed on the blankets or a dusty stable, "James " should 
be told that he alone is at fault, and if he cannot keep the 
horses clean there are other men who can. Bad groom- 
ing should be immediately and decidedly remarked upon, as 
should any indication that the superficial glossiness is due 
to the action of stimulants or the use of oils. The stable- 
men should be absolutely forbidden the administering of 
any medicines, tonics or other stimulants without receiving 
special permission upon each occasion that they are re- 
quired. A groom detected violating this order should be 
summarily dismissed. 

" It would be well for the proprietor of the horse if he were to insist — 
and see that his orders are really obeyed — that the fine coat in which he and 
his groom so much delight is produced by honest rubbing, and not by a 
heated stable and thick clothing, and most of all, not by stimulating or 
injurious spices." — William Youaft, " The Horse,''' p. 128. 

" If a horse is clean, no scurf nor grease of any kind should ever adhere 
to the hand when rubbed over the skin. If your groom assures you to the 
contrary, and says that you must expect a little, he lies, and knows it, too." 
— Alajor Fisher, " Through Stable ajid Saddle Roomy 



424 AMOUNT OF AND TIME FOR GROOMING. 

AMOUNT OF GROOMING. 

When the horse is doing regular daily work, the groom- 
ing should be done twice a day — first the early morning 
grooming and then again after being out. The purpose of 
the early grooming is to cleanse the skin and coat of the 
continually accumulating emanations of the body. The 
necessity of the second grooming, to remove the dust and 
sweat, is self-evident. In stormy weather, when the horse is 
not taken out, the morning cleaning is sufficient. A horse 
not in use, but kept in condition by daily exercise, should be 
regularly groomed twice a day, unless an economy of time 
has to be practised, in which case the cleaning should be 
done after the horse has been exercised. 

TIME FOR GROOMING. 

As to the time at which the grooming should be begun 
there is some little diversity of opinion. The common prac- 
tice is to have this work done as soon as the horses are fed 
and watered ; the writer, however, has found it more conven- 
ient for the men, and consequently productive of greater 
success, to have the horses watered and fed and the bedding 
cared for between six and seven a. m. After the servants 
have had their breakfast, the grooming is commenced 
promptly at seven thirty, and half an hour allowed for each 
horse. Grooming is hard work and doubly hard on an 
empty stomach, while that of cleaning up the stalls, arrang- 
ing the day bedding and putting the wet straw out to dry 
is comparatively light work. By having this part of the 
work done before breakfast and allowing half an hour, from 
seven to seven thirty, to elapse between the feeding and the 
" strapping," the servants' comfort is considered as well as 



TIME REQUIRED FOR GROOMING. 425 

that of the horse. Moreover, it is more convenient at this 
latter hour for the owner to be present now and then when 
the grooming is being done. If the master has to be car- 
ried to the railroad station at an early hour such a pro- 
gramme is open to serious objections, unless the servant 
begins the work at an earlier hour. Many grooms will de- 
clare that they are up at five and like it. The writer has had, 
in a long experience, some of these avowedly early risers in 
his service, but has found in actual practice that they shirked 
beginning work at six o'clock. 

" The duties of the groom considered in relation to time usually com- 
mence at half past five or six in the morning." — John Stewart, " Stable 
Economy,'' p. yS. 

TIME REQUIRED FOR GROOMING. 

Three-quarters of an hour is ample time in which to 
thoroughly groom a horse, and a man who cannot do it in 
that time has missed his calling, and the services of a com- 
petent man should be secured. The majority of horses can 
be well and thoroughly groomed in half an hour, but there 
are some animals that, owing to heavy, rough coats or manes, 
demand an additional fifteen minutes' labor. Many servants 
work an hour or more over each horse, but they simply 
waste time either from not employing it to good advantage or 
because they pertorm their work unsystematically. When 
men know that if the grooming can be properly done in 
from half to three-quarters of an hour, and are made to 
understand that their master knows it should be done in 
this time, they will perform their work with a proper amount 
of celerity. 

" A good groom ought to be able to clean a horse thoroughly in the 



426 



ORDER AND METHOD OF GROOMING. 



morning or after ordinary work, when his coat is short, in half an hour. 
Fifteen or possibly twenty minutes more may be required after work, if the 
horse returns hot or very muddy. If the horse has a very thick or long 
coat twenty minutes more may be added to the above periods. Not only 
ought the groom to be able to do it within these periods, but the master 
ought to insist that he does it thoroughly in that time." — Sir F. Fitzivy- 
gram, "Horses ajid Stables,'' p. y6. 



ORDER AND METHOD OF GROOMING. 

The use of a pair of pillar-reins should be insisted upon. 
When a horse is being groomed, especially under the loins, 

he is very apt to bite or kick, and 
if the orroom suffers from his own 
carelessness he invariably vents his 
rage upon the horse, usually by 
striking him about the head. The 
pillar-reins should be made of 
leather, with buckles at both ends ; 
they should be attached to either 
side of the stall or to posts, and 
be just long enough to allow the 
horse to turn his head four or six 
inches to either side. Should the 
horse be a determined biter the 
groom should be made to take the 
extra precaution of putting a dress- 
ing muzzle (see Fig. 210) on the 
animal, notwithstanding his declar- 
ing that the horse knows him, etc. 
Never leave a horse untied 
^^*^" ^^°' either in or out of his stall. 

Have as much fresh air in the stable as the season of 




ORDER AND METHOD OF GROOMING. ^"11 

the year permits, and prevent any draught from blowing on 
the horse by only opening the doors and windows at one 
end of the stable. 

Back the horse out of the stall, exchange the head-collar for 
a cleaning bridle and attach the horse by a pair of pillar-reins. 

Remove the blanket, shake it out of doors and hanof it, 
turned inside out, in the sunshine. 

First clean one side of the horse and then the other, 
commencing at the head, then do the neck, fore quarters, 
body and hind quarters. A mere polishing of the surface is 
not wanted, but a hard, deep rubbing of the coat with the 
body brush. Stand at arm's length from the horse, carry 
the risrht or brush hand above the head and throw the wei^rht 
of the body into each stroke. 

" There is no necessity, however, for half the punishment which many a 
groom inflicts upon the horse in the act of dressing; and particularly on one 
whose skin is thin and sensitive." — William Youatt, " The Horse, ^^ p. 128. 

Begin with the body brush and currycomb, but do not 
touch the horse with the currycomb ; use the latter for clean- 
ing the body brush from time to time. Rub well into the 
roots of the hair with the body brush against and with the 
hair. Do not use a dandy brush ; it ruins the horse's coat, 
and should only be employed to remove mud from the 
horse's legs and belly and as a mane brush. 

" Perhaps the cardinal principle in grooming is this : the currycomb 
should not be employed on the horse, but on the brush. Now the ordi- 
nary horse owner will declare that this statement is applicable only to stables 
of rich men, where grooms are abundant ; and such, I confess, was long my 
opinion. But when finally I tried the experiment with my own hands I 
quickly discovered the mistake. The truth is, that a horse can be cleaned 
not only much better, but much quicker without the currycomb used upon 



428 ORDER AND METHOD OF GROOMING. 

him than with it; the reason being that the currycomb applied to the skin 
irritates it, and therefore produces more dandruff than it removes." — H. 
C. Merwin, " Road, Track and Siabk" p. 304. 

Next take a straw wisp, which should be dampened and 
flattened by pounding it with the heel. With the wisp the 
horse should be gone over in the same manner as when using 
the body brush. The wisp should be used with and not 
against the hair. A wisp is made by twisting straws into a 
rope of about two feet and a half in length and forming it 
into a knot. 

After the use of the wisp go lightly and quickly over the 
horse with a crash rubber or a chamois. The object of this 
part of the dressing is merely to remove any bits of straw 
and to lay the coat. 

Now put on the day blanket, placing it farther forward 
than it is to remain, and having fastened the buckle, stand 
squarely behind the horse and draw the blanket into place. 
The roller should be put on and the blanket carefully 
smoothed under the body before tightening up the roller. 

With a wet sponge wash out the mouth, nostrils, eyes 
and under the loins and tail and dry these parts with a 
rubber. The feet should then be cleaned and washed out 
with a water-brush, care being taken not to wet the hair 
about the hoofs, especially about the heels. While this part 
of the work is being done, attention should be given to the 
shoes and any insecurity noted. 

" We may ascertain if a shoe is loose, however slightly, by, after taking 
up the foot, gently tapping the ground surface of the siioe with the fingers. 
The nature of the sound thus made will serve to confirm or dissipate our 
suspicions. As long as the nails have a firm hold, so long will the heels of 
the hoof be protected from undue wear; but when the shoes become loose, 



WASHING THE LEGS, MANE AND TAIL. 429 

they soon get knocked to pieces, and the proper slope of the hoof will be 
destroyed for the time being." — Capt. M. H. Hayes, "Horse Management 
in India,^^ p. iiy. 

The mane and tail should now be brushed. For this 
purpose a dandy or mane brush should be used and the hair 
straightened out from the ends and not from the roots. 
Don't use a comb ; it ruins the hair. When this part of the 
work is finished, put on the day head-collar and return the 
horse immediately to his stall. 

The use of the various forms of varnish on the horse's 
hoof is altogether objectionable in the country, and its only 
redeeming quality in the city is that it gives the hoof a 
rather trimmer appearance. Owing to the sticky nature of 
the varnish ingredients the hoof dressing collects dirt, and 
in the country the hoof immediately becomes covered with 
a coating of dust. The use of hoof dressing is injurious to 
the hoof, inasmuch as it chokes up the pores and affects the 
thin coating of horn which nature provided as a protection 
to the fibres composing the hoof. 

WASHING THE LEGS, MANE AND TAIL. 

If a horse came in the previous day with muddy legs, 
they should be washed later in the morning, after the regular 
work has been completed. For this work warm water, cas- 
tile soap and a water-brush should be used and the legs 
thoroughly rinsed with cold water. The white hair on the 
legs of all horses should be similarly cleansed every day. A 
very common fault in performing this work is the partial or 
entire neglect of drying the legs, and as a result the heels 
become cracked, which is a very similar complaint to 
chapped hands in a person. Nine cases out of ten of cracked 



430 CLEANING THE SHEATH. 

heels is due to carelessness on the part of the stable servants, 
and when it occurs the master may satisfy himself as to the 
cause by personally supervising the work of drying the legs 
for a few days. The habit of drying the legs with woollen 
bandages is not recommended. It originated in supplement- 
ing the drying with rubbers, but when practised by lazy 
servants, the preliminary drying is omitted. 

The mane and tail should be thoroughly washed from 
time to time. Once a month in the winter is sufficiently 
often, but during the dusty weather of the summer months 
the mane and tail should be washed two or three times each 
week. The skin at the roots of the hair should be washed 
with soap and a water-brush and the hair well lathered and 
all parts thoroughly rinsed with clear water. 

CLEANING THE SHEATH. 

The sheaths of all oreldins^s and stallions should be thor- 
oughly washed out with castile soap and warm water and 
then carefully rinsed with cold water. During the summer 
months, when the roads are very dusty, the cleaning of this 
part should be done at least once a month but in winter it 
will not be necessary to repeat the washing at such frequent 
intervals. As the neglect of this work is not likely to be 
detected, its omission is a common fault. 

Each servant should have a basket about two feet long, 
eight inches deep and a foot wide, in which the grooming 
articles should be kept. By such means the brushes, 
sponges, etc., are kept together, and there is less likelihood 
of their becoming lost, misplaced or converted into obstruc- 
tions. 

" From the same want of rule (but sometimes from want of convenience 



STOPPING THE FEET, ETC, 431 

to avoid it), we often see a man hunting for his currycomb and brush, or any 
article he uses, under the manger, under the straw close to the standings, 
and in his various other hiding-places ; all this at once shows bad manage- 
ment somewhere, and looks most unstableman-like." — Charles Brindley, 
" Pocket and the Stud,'' p. gi. 

The limited accommodations of the average city and coun- 
try stable have resulted in the habit of horses being groomed 
in their stalls or in the passageway at the rear. Practically 
considered this is very much like having carpets or rugs 
beaten in the living rooms of a dwelling. Whatever dirt is 
removed from the horse's- coat lodges on the blankets and 
exposed parts of the other horses, and a part is taken into 
the lungs of both man and beast. For this reason when- 
ever it is possible the grooming should be done in another 
part of the stable or in the open air. 

STOPPING THE FEET, ETC. 

In consequence of the feet becoming unnaturally hard 
as a result of the horse being stood on flooring which lacks 
the cooling and softening qualities of earth, the custom 
has developed of keeping the feet in a good condition by 
applying moisture in various forms. When this is done 
in moderation and in a proper manner much benefit is 
derived; but when ignorance and senseless tradition rule 
supreme much more harm than good results. In the first 
place the horn of the hoof should not be kept so wet as to 
stimulate a rapid and unsound growth or to an extent that 
renders the existing growth weak. The horse's foot, kept 
in a constant state of dampness, rots and decays. The 
other point on which stablemen frequently err is in the use 
of such filthy substances as cow dung, etc., for softening the 



432 BANDAGES. 

feet. The cleanest and most simple substances, all of the 
properties of which are known, should alone be used. Blue 
clay, peat moss or a felt swab are excellent agents for the 
conveyance of moisture. 

BANDAGES. 

Bandages are of several kinds and are used for various 
purposes. The method of putting them on depends upon 
the effect desired. The material of which bandages are 
made should be about eight feet long and four inches wide. 
At one end the corners should be turned in, forming a V to 
which the tapes are sewed. It is generally conceded by 
horse ow^ners of experience that under ordinary circum- 
stances hand rubbing or the application of cold water from 
a hose is more beneficial than the use of bandages. This 
verdict is in a large measure due to the fact that in many 
instances hand rubbing or the strengthening and refreshing 
effects of a cold douche is productive of the best results, 
and when misapplied the consequent harm is not so great 
as if warm bandaQ:es are used when cold ones are needed or 
vice versa. The misuse of bandages is so general, owing to 
the ignorance of the effects produced by the materials used, 
that aside from indicating the bestowal of some attention, 
the average horse would fare better if the care of the legs 
was limited to hand rubbing. In fact, many horses in time 
grow dependent upon the effects produced by bandages, for 
which effects at the outset there was no need. 

FLANNEL BANDAGES. 

Flannel bandages are used to increase or stimulate the 
circulation, and hence are employed under the following cir- 



LINEN BANDAGES, 433 

ciimstances : first, when the horse is chilled or his vitality 
has become impaired by sickness ; second, for the purpose 
of removing any puffiness about the legs ; and third, in con- 
sequence of the fact that flannel readily absorbs moisture, 
such bandages are used by servants who, after washing a 
horse's legs, either do not care to take the trouble of drying 
them thoroughly or who take the additional precaution of 
applying the bandages for the purpose of removing any 
moisture which the rubber has not absorbed in drying the 
legs. Flannel bandages are generally used dry and should 
be wrapped loosely about the legs in order to prevent any 
interference with the circulation. With a view to securing 
a proper amount of looseness, the legs are often first wrapped 
in a straw or hay rope bandage or strands of hay or straw 
are placed between the folds. When desiring to apply a 
more active fomentation to the legs than is set up by the 
dry bandage, the flannel should be first soaked in water as 
hot as the hand can bear it (about one hundred and six de- 
grees) and a dry bandage or piece of oil silk applied over 
the wet one. 

LINEN BANDAGES. 

Linen bandages should be used to the exclusion of those 
made of flannel to afford support or to apply lotions to the 
horse's legs. When applied as supports bandages should 
always be tightly bound ; and as lotions are generally used 
for the purpose of strengthening the tendons, linen band- 
ages should under almost all circumstances be firmly bound. 
Unless the inflammation or soreness is somewhat severe, the 
use of dry linen bandages will be found sufificient ; but when 
the trouble is of a more serious nature or to effect immediate 



434 



LOTIONS AND BANDAGES. 



relief, the use of one of the lotions named below will be 
found necessary. A very good intermediate application may 
be had in the form of a cold water bandage. When lini- 
ments are used it will be found advantageous to cover the 
under bandage with a dry one in order to prevent evapora- 
tion. If, however, the object is wholly or in part to convey 
coldness to the legs, the wet bandage should not be covered, 
as the evaporation which takes place is a cooling agent as 
well. All wet bandages should be kept moistened or be 
removed before they become dry. 

CHAMOIS BANDAGES 

Chamois bandages are often preferred to linen ones for 
the application of lotions, as the skin when saturated holds 



the moisture longer 


LOTIONS. 




Witch-hazel. 


Witch-hazel, 


Cold water. 




Vinegar, 


Sal ammoniac. 




Sal ammoniac. 


" 


Spirits of wine, 


Cold water. 


Cracked ice used 


Witch-hazel, 


Salt. 


as a refrigerant 


Vinegar. 




with any of the 
foregoing. 


Water, 


Tincture of arnica. 


Nitre, 


Sugar of lead. 


Water. 


Water. 


Muriate of ammonia, 


Acetate of zinc. 


Water. 




Sulphate of zinc. 
Rain water. 



COTTON WOOL BANDAGES. 

Cotton wool bandages are chiefly employed to apply 
more heat to the legs than is afforded by flannel bandages 



METHOD OF APPLYING BANDAGES. 435 

and less than results from the use of hot bandages or other 
forms of fomentations. Owing to the perishable and com- 
paratively costly nature of the cotton wool, its use is gener- 
ally limited to horses for show or racing purposes, or to 
valuable horses in a time of sickness. 

STRAW BANDAGES. 

Straw or hay bandages are chiefly used in cases of emer- 
gency, when flannel ones are not at hand. When well made 
and properly applied, such an improvised bandage forms a 
very excellent substitute. The straw or hay should be 
twisted into a rope about two inches thick and about seven 
feet and a half long. 

METHOD OF APPLYING BANDAGES 

The bandages should be undone for six 
or eight inches and the outer face of the roll 
placed against the outside of the canon 
bone, near the fetlock (see Fig. 211), and 
held there by the thumb and forefinger of 
the right hand. The loose end should then 
be carried around the back of the leg to the ^^*^- '^^^• 
right by the left hand and the end slipped under the roll 
which is still held by the right hand ; at the same time 
the roll should be drawn to the right until all the slack is 
taken up. The end being secured, the roll should be pushed 
with the palm of the right hand inward and around the 
inside of the leg until it can be reached by the fingers of the 
left hand, from which it is passed into the palm of the right 
hand as the roll is brought to the front of the leg. First the 
lower part of the leg and the fetlock are covered by repeating 




436 METHOD OF APPLYING BANDAGES. 

« 

this movement in a downward spiral direction, then the roll 
is carried upward in the same manner to within a few inches 
of the knee, thence downward again as far as the length of 
the bandage will admit. Each succeeding fold should over- 
lap the former one by about an inch. The tapes or strings 
which appear at the end of the roll should be firmly but not 
tightly bound around the leg and tied in a slip-knot on the 
flat outward side of the leg. 

Care must be taken to apply the bandage so that the 
pressure will be even. The servant should be made to 
realize that considerable judgment and dexterity are required 
to render the pressure uniform in consequence of the fact 
that each succeeding fold tightens the one lying beneath it. 
When it is necessary to put bandages on loosely, the end 
lying beneath the folds may be firmly secured by laying the 
end diagonally across the upper part of the canon bone in 
such a manner that the end will extend beyond the leg 
toward the body of the horse for five or six inches. The roll 
is carried down around the fetlock and up again, as described 
in the foregoing paragraph. The loose end is turned down 
against the outside of the leg and covered by the roll as the 
latter is brought up. When bandages are to be used on 
horses in work, the end should be laid diagonally across the 
fetlock, the end toward the heel. The roll is then carried up 
to the knee, and as it is brought down, the loose end is held 
up against the outside of the leg and is bound between the 
upward and downward folds. The fetlock should not be 
covered if the horse is to be worked. Many fatal accidents 
have occurred in consequence of the ends of bandages being 
improperly secured. 



THE CARE OF BANDAGES AND HAND RUBBING. 437 
THE CARE OF BANDAGES. 

All bandages should be kept rolled up ready for immedi- 
ate use. In rolling them up, the ends to which the tapes 
are fastened should be turned over toward the side of the 
material on which the tapes are sewed, and form the core or 
centre of the bandage. After the roll has been started, it 
should be turned by the thumb and forefinger of both hands, 
turning the bandage away from the body. From time to 
time the material may be drawn tight by placing the foot on 
the part which falls to the ground. Bandages should never 
be put away wet or dirty. If lotions have been used, the 
bandages should be washed, rinsed and thoroughly dried, 
either in the open air or before the fire. 

HAND RUBBING. 

" After a day of severe and protracted exertion, gentle and frequent 
friction is very useful for restoring the legs and for preventing the cold 
swelling to which the legs of many horses are liable after work, but it is 
improper where there is any swelling hot and painful. The hind always require 
more than the fore legs. The friction seldom requires to be carried higher 
than the hock or knee-joints." 

" Cold-blooded, long-legged horses are troubled with cold legs while 
standing in the stall. It is difficult to avoid them altogether among horses 
that are not in good condition, loaded with fat or plethoric ; yet frequent 
hand rubbing does much. Some grooms give it five or six times a day ; so 
much is seldom required, indeed never, except under disease ; but it does no 
harm that I know of, if it does not make the heels too bare. To be of any 
use it must be done in a systematic manner and in good earnest. If the 
horse be perfectly quiet, the man will sit down on his knees, and with a 
small soft or cloth rubber in each hand, he will rub upward and downward, 
or he will use his hands without the wisp, particularly if the hair be short 
and fine. Much force is not necessary ; indeed, it is pernicious. In coming 
down the leg the pressure should be light, and in passing upward it must not 



438 HOT AND COLD APPLICATIONS AND SHOEING. 

be so great as to raise or break the hairs." — John Siewart, " Stable Econ- 
omy, '' p. ii8. 

HOT AND COLD APPLICATIONS. 

" Hot water makes the best fomentation, and is only open to the objec- 
tion that its use demands from servants an amount of time and trouble 
which they are not very willing to give, unless closely superintended. 

" Fomentations, to be really useful, should be continued for at least one 
or two hours at a time. The temperature of the water should not exceed 
1 06 degrees, or hardly as hot as the hand can comfortably bear. The tem- 
perature must be kept up to this point by the frequent addition of small 
quantities of hot water. 

" Cold water bathing of the legs is in many cases beneficial. The cold 
gives tone to and braces up the structures, which may have become weak or, 
deficient in vital energy. The value of cold as a tonic has not been, we 
think, sufficiently appreciated in such cases. A good jet for this purpose 
may be made by attaching a gutta-percha or rubber tube to the ordinary 
water-cock. If the necessary appliances are not available, an ordinary 
watering-pot with a rose will answer the purpose fairly well. In cases of 
sprain of the tendons or ligaments below the knee or hock . . . water 
may be allowed to trickle for two hours at a time twice or three times dur- 
ing the day. If the weather be cold the water may be made slightly tepid. 
When a force of water from a jet or hose is used, the application should 
never be continued for more than a few moments at a time. In both cases 
the part must be afterwards dried and bandaged." — Sir F. Fitzwygrantf 
" Horses and Stables,'' p. g6 et seq. 

SHOEING. 

The art of properly making and applying shoes to the 
horse's feet is neither so difficult in its practical operation 
nor so confusing a subject theoretically considered, providing 
the attempt to offset physical defects is eliminated. Un- 
fortunately the horse's foot is one of his most vulnerable 
points, and in consequence the farriers have become ex- 
perimental practitioners in the veterinary science so far as it 



COST OF SHOEING, 439 

relates to the horse's foot. Many of them are men ignorant of 
the deHcate anatomy comprising these extremities, and take 
upon themselves the responsibility of applying remedies for 
a defect which seems to them similar to one they have seen 
or heard treated of with good results. The cause and seat 
of the trouble are matters of indifference, and like all wise- 
acres they refuse to use the little common sense that was 
given to them and jump at conclusions which are in most 
cases wrong. If their experiment fails the defect is pro- 
nounced incurable, but if by chance the animal is afforded 
temporary or lasting relief the veterinary quack's confidence 
in his ability to treat any defects of the feet is still further 
strengthened. It is not the writer's intention to convey the 
impression that the opinions of all farriers are to be dis- 
trusted. There are some intelligent, practical men whose 
advice is worthy of much consideration, but they are unfortu- 
nately in the minority. 

Authorities differ but little in their advice resfardine the 
shoeing of a well-formed, sound animal. If the reader's 
horse does not go well when shod, according to the principle 
set forth by such well-known authorities as are here cited, 
and the attempts of a reliable veterinary to counteract the 
defect by a special form of shoe results unfavorably, the owner 
is advised to dispose of the animal rather than make the 
poor beast a subject for experiment with one blacksmith after 
the other. If the physical defect is serious, the horse cannot 
be made sound by any ingenuity on the part of the farrier. 

COST OF SHOEING. 

The actual cost to the farrier of removing old shoes and 
putting on a set of ordinary iron new ones is about one 



440 COST OF SHOEING. 

dollar. For this work it is customary to charge from two 
dollars and a half to four dollars. Part of this charo^e is 
made to defray rent, taxes, etc., and periods of enforced idle- 
ness, and part, a considerable part, is used by many farriers 
to obtain and retain the patronage of the head servant. Re- 
garding the matter of commission, the writer has taken the 
liberty to quote an article which appeared in The Ttirf, 
Field and Farm in the issue of the 25th of June, 1897 : 

" Not as many people are using carriage horses as when the times were 
good, and the coachman who wants to keep his employer in a cheerful 
frame of mind will not add to the expense account by devious ways. A 
veterinary surgeon, who has been behind the scenes, writes a letter to the 
London Field from which we extract : 

'•' ' The gentleman's servant has but a single lesson to receive in what 
he calls " discount," and ever afterward bleeds all with whom he comes in 
contact or else withdraws his patronage. Please mark the fact that it is 
his and not his master's patronage ; the latter only writes the checks, all 
else is in the hands of the coachman or stud groom. Few readers of the 
Field wxW. attribute any share of the late farriers' strike to the coachmen, 
but I could easily prove to your entire satisfaction, Mr. Editor, that a sum 
of \s. on each set of shoes is the minimum which any West End coachman 
would accept, in addition to ten per cent on the account when paid. The 
more respectable farriers and veterinary surgeons decline to go further than 
this ; but the majority of men who carry on shoeing forges are compelled 
to book shoes that are never supplied, and divide the plunder with the 
coachman. Many horses keep on their shoes too long, and thereby induce 
corns, while the owner is charged with a new set every three weeks and re- 
moves once a fortnight. 

" ' There are master farriers who will give one or two sovereigns for a 
coachman's promise to have his horses shod at the said farrier's forge next 
season. Some of the largest businesses have been built up on this system, 
and the account is "arranged " between the coachman and the foreman, or 
master of the forge. 

" ' The farriers work hard and earn really good wages, but knowing how 



COST OF SHOEING. 441 

easily the horse owners are robbed, they desire a greater share in the 
plunder, and see no reason why yet another shilling should not be imposed, 
and this time for the benefit of the men who actually do the work. While the 
veterinary profession has been struggling for a social status to the extent 
of forbidding the most innocent form of advertisement, many of its mem- 
bers keep shoeing forges in London where the most flagrant dishonesty is 
practised. If that profession is really to be elevated there must be a total 
divorce from the forge. 

" ' Owners will not be troubled with details ; they do not occasionally 
check the account or notice the shoes. In vain do men like Captain Hayes 
write practical works for horse owners, who will accept no bother. The 
average gentleman roughly estimates so much a year for the stables, and, if 
it is not largely exceeded, is content to shut his eyes to habitual robbery 
until some of his rogues fall out and in unguarded moments speak the truth.' 

"The editor of the Field makes this letter the subject of a leading 
article : 

" * When the horse owner comes to realize that his coachman makes a 
demand for a sum on each shoeing transaction equal to about twenty per 
cent of the bill and claims another ten per cent on the account, it is surely 
time that some notice were taken of the matter. It is an unfortunate fact 
that what are called " upper servants " not only expect but demand com- 
mission. The lady's maid harries the dressmaker ; the cook demands what 
she is pleased to term her rights of all the purveyors of comestibles ; the 
butler looks to the wine merchant and makes a tidy percentage out of the 
stationery which in many cases he supplies to the house. Writing paper 
and stamping are marvellously cheap nowadays, and the price the butler 
puts down in his book and the sum he actually pays do not tally by a long 
way. Of all servants, however, none are more rapacious, or, not to blink 
the matter, the most dishonest, than stable servants. So long as matters 
are left in the hands of the average coachman — there are individual excep- 
tions, we know — he insists on a money payment in accordance with his 
own scale for everything coming into the stable or coach house. Neither a 
carriage, horse, set of harness nor stable utensils or " tools " can be bought 
without the coachman desiring, nay, insisting, on " standing in." There is 
not a saddler or harness maker in London or the provinces, not a corn mer- 
chant, job master, and, according to our correspondent, not a veterinary 



442 COST OF SHOEING. 

surgeon who has a forge who could not tell how, in connection with large 
establishments, this system of blackmailing holds sway, and it must be 
admitted that masters by the line they adopt play too well into their ser- 
vants' hands. It certainly would appear that a good many of those who 
own horses have absolutely no knowledge of horses, their ways or treatment, 
since they leave everything, big and little, to their coachmen and grooms. 
If they want to buy or job a horse or carriage, it is the coachman who is 
sent to make arrangements and give his opinion. This, of course, gives the 
man the opportunity of making his own terms, and if those offered do not 
suit he can easily find an excuse for recommending his master, or rather 
his employer, for he, the coachman, is master, to deal elsewhere. 

" * Assuming that our correspondent, " A Veterinary Surgeon," is right in 
his facts, the coachmen of whom he complains do not stop short at robbery, 
for their blackmail is nothing else, but they commit a wrong against the 
horses and their owner. Every one who has to do with horses knows quite 
well that, whatever be the state of the shoes, they should not go more than a 
fortnight, or at the most, three weeks, without being removed, otherwise the 
foot, by the growth of horn, becomes too big for the shoe. Yet these 
removes, says our correspondent, though charged for, are not made, and 
then some fine day corns appear, or lameness of another kind sets in. On 
reference to his letter it will be seen that "A Veterinary Surgeon" alleges 
that not unconnected with the late futile strike of the farriers is this demand 
by the coachmen of a shilling for every set of shoes suppHed. He says that 
the men who do the work, knowing what goes on in the way of backsheesh 
by the coachmen and charging for work which is not executed by the 
employers of the workmen, want to participate in the plunder, and wished 
the master to charge another shilling a set for their benefit. We never 
heard that this was even hinted at by the strikers ; but if it really had any- 
thing to do with it, then all that can be said is that it is ten thousand pities 
the fact was not published to the world broadcast. If horse owners could 
have been made to understand that their own coachmen were actually at the 
bottom of the strike, they might then have felt inclined to bestir them- 
selves. Of all the people who are necessary to a stable, the farrier is the 
most important. "No foot, no horse," is as true now as the day when it was 
first coined, and the foot and the stomach of a horse are just about the last 
two things a coachman should seek to make money out of. Master farriers 



COST OF SHOEING. 



443 



and veterinary surgeons with a forge are among the persons who must please 
to live ; but it certainly does seem curious that years and years should pass 
without one independent man putting his foot down and availing himself of 
a splendid advertisement. Supineness on the masters' part is doubtless the 
real reason why the blackmailing system has so singularly flourished for so 
long a time.' 

"A few days ago we received from a well-known farrier in this city a 
circular which he has mailed to a large number of gentlemen who maintain 
carriage stables : 

" 'For the past few years gentlemen's coachmen and grooms have been 
demanding and receiving of horseshoers in this city a commission upon all 
work done for their masters in shoeing coach and road horses. 
The following have been the rates charged for shoeing road horses, $3.50 
Out of which groom receives a commission . .... i.oo 



Leaving amount actually paid shoer .... 
For shoeing pair coach horses ..... 
Out of which coachman receives a commission of 

Leaving amount actually paid shoer .... 
Some coachmen requiring shoers to make bill monthly for 

ting, all of which is paid coachman 
The price now paid for shoeing pair horses with pads is 
Out of which the coachman demands and receives from 



reset- 



?2.50 

$7-oo 
2.00 



.00 



^17.00 
00 to 6.00 



Leaving actual amount paid shoer ...... $11.00 

" 'This commission has been exacted and we have been compelled to 
pay it to retain our trade. 

"'I have been twenty years engaged as a journeyman, receiving the 
largest wages paid any journeyman in this city. 

" * I propose to shoe your horses at following rates : 

Single horse, new set shoes ....... $2.50 

Single horse, new set shoes with pads ..... 5.50 

Pair coach horses, new set shoes ...... 5.00 

Pair coach horses, new set shoes with pads .... 11.00 

Resetting each horse . . . . . . . . 1.50 



444 PREPARING THE HOOF. 

" ' I employ none but union men, and guarantee work the best and 
material used the best in the market. By sending your horses to me you 
will save in commissions, now generally paid to coachmen and grooms, 
about $72 per year on the shoeing of each pair of horses.' 

" We are told that when coachmen were informed of the contents of 
this circular, threats were made to do the farrier personal injury, and he was 
compelled to take steps to protect himself from assault. The coachmen 
who were refused gratuities nearly destroyed the business of the farrier by 
taking the horses of their masters to other establishments, but now the shop 
of the plucky farrier is overrun with business, because scores of gentlemen, 
as soon as they had knowledge of the facts, refused to be bled any longer 
by their servants. The coachman is an important factor in every well 
regulated domestic establishment, and he should make it his first duty to 
protect the interests of the man who gives him congenial employment. 
When he imposes on good nature by levying tribute in all directions, which 
tribu-te comes from the pocket of the man who pays him his wages, he 
is doing everything in his power to restrict the use of horses. A never-end- 
ing train of petty annoyances, in addition to the expense, is the cause of 
many men giving up their stables." 

REMOVAL OF OLD SHOES. 
" The clenches should be cut carefully without injury to the crust, and 
then each nail should be drawn separately. Much damage is often done 
to the crust by neglect of these simple precautions. It takes very little 
time to remove an old shoe properly, and there is really no excuse for the 
hurried and violent manner in which this operation is too often per- 
formed." — Sir F. Fitzwygram, " Horses and Stables,'' p. 435. 

PREPARING THE HOOF. 

" To remove the excessive growth of the wall is an absolute necessity ; 
but to denude the sole of its horn is wanton injury to the foot and cruelty 
to the animal. 

"The longer the frog is left untouched by the knife, and allowed to 
meet the ground, the more developed it becomes, its horn grows so dense 
and resisting, yet without losing its special properties, that it braves the 
crushing of the roughest roads without suffering in the slightest degree ; it 



THE WEIGHT OF SHOES. 445 

insures the hoof retaining its proper shape at the heels ; is a valuable sup- 
porter of the limb and foot while the animal is standing or moving ; and is 
an active agent, from its shape and texture, in preventing slipping. 

" Opening up the heels. This operation is quite as injurious, if it is not 
more so, than mutilating the sole and frog. . . . When it is hacked away 
by the farrier's knife, the wall of the hoof is not only considerably weak- 
ened, but the hoof gradually contracts toward the heels." — G. Fleming, 
'■^Practical Horseshoeing,^^ p. 46 et seq. 

"The bars demand no especial treatment except to be let alone. If let 
alone they will perform their duties efficiently and well." — Sir F. Fitzwy- 
gram, " Horses and Stables,'' p. 4^5. 

♦' Provided the hoof, before it comes into the hands of the farrier, has 
the proper inclination and is equal on both sides of its ground-face, but is 
nevertheless overgrown, the artisan has then only to remove the excess of 
growth without disturbing the relations between the several regions of the 
wall. Or should the hoof be overgrown, too oblique, too upright, or unequal 
at the sides, then in remedying the one defect he at the same time remedies 
all. The amount of horn to be removed from the margin of the hoof will 
depend upon circumstances. It may be laid down as a rule, however, that 
there being but little horn to remove at the heels, these should only be 
rasped sufficiently to insure the removal of all loose material incapable of 
supporting the shoe ; the quarters or sides of the hoof may require a freer 
application of the rasp, but as the toe is reached, a larger quantity must be 
removed. The limit to this removal at the front of the hoof must be when 
the wall is almost or quite reduced to a level with the strong impaired sole. 
It must ever be borne in mind that, if the wall does not stand beyond the 
level of the sole, it does not require reducing." — G. Fletning, ''Practical 
Horseshoeing," p. 44. 

THE WEIGHT OF SHOES 

" The growth of the foot renders it necessary that the shoe should be 
refitted at the end of a month. . . . 

'' Prima facie, therefore, shoes should be as thin as is compatible with 
their wearing for a month. But practically there should be a week's wear 
to spare at the end of the month, both because it is not always convenient 
to send a horse to be shod on any particular day, and because it would be 



446 



THE WIDTH OF SHOES. 



inconvenient to be liable to the risk of a shoe breaking, if the owner hap- 
pened to take an extra long ride towards the end of the month. . . . 

" Nine ounces may be taken as the minimum, and fourteen ounces as 
the maximum for ordinary riding horses." — Sir F. Fitzwygram, " Horses 
and Stabks" p. 482. 

THE WIDTH OF SHOES. 

" For ordinary riding horses, hunters and carriage horses it is usual to 
make the shoe about one inch wide. I believe that three-quarters of an 
inch is sufficient. 

" There are, however, some points of difference between the hind and 
fore feet. The crust or wall of the hind foot is more upright than that of 





FIG. 212. 



FIG. 213. 



fore foot. It is also thinner, /. e., narrower. The web of the shoe must also 
be narrower. It should not much exceed half an inch, which is the width 
of the crust. 

" The upper surface of the shoe should be flat so that it may rest on the 
whole surface of the crust. . . . The under or ground surface should be 
concave. A concave ground surface has a great practical advantage, inas- 
much as the shoe gets a much greater hold on the ground, and the horse 
is therefore less liable to slip or pick up stones." — Sir F. Fitzwygram, 
" Horses and Stables,^'' p. 482. 



CLIPS AND CALKINGS, NAIL-HOLES, ETC. 447 

THE LENGTH OF SHOES. 

" The length of the shoe is determined by the length of the crust. 
An objection is sometimes raised to fore shoes being made the full length 
of the crust, on account of a fear lest the hind shoes should catch in them. 
This accident, however, is not likely to occur where the shoes are not longer 
than the crust. The possibility of it will be prevented by sloping off the 
heels of the fore hoes in the direction of the fibres of the crust, and again 

by sloping off the inner or posterior edge of the toe of the hind shoes." 

Sir F. Fitzzvygrarn, " Horses and Stables,^'' p. 484. 

CLIPS AND CALKINGS. 

" For carriage and saddle horses and hunters, each fore and hind shoe 
should have a clip drawn up at the middle of the toe, except in special 
cases, as when the horse overreaches, or, from being required to jump or any 
other cause, is likely to strike any part of the back of the fore legs ; in which 
case he hind shoes require to have a clip at each side of the toe ; none in 
the middle." — G. Fleming, ^^ Practical Horseshoeing," p. 6g. 

" Calkings [heels], though sometimes necessary, are in all cases more 
or less of an evil. They are not really required for ordinary riding or 
driving. Calkings are utterly inadmissible on the fore feet." — Sir F. 
Fitzwygram, " Horses and Stables,'" p. 4g2. 

NAIL-HOLES, ETC. 

" A great advantage is gained in the form of the nails by making use of 
countersunk holes. With them the heads of the nails can never wear out, if 
they fit the holes, until the shoe itself is worn through. With these nails 
the heads should exactly occupy and completely fill the holes. No portion 
of the thin part of the nail should be in the shoe, nor any portion of the 
thick part in the crust. The thin part should begin where the nail quits the 
shoe under the crust. 

" The nail-holes should be punched rather nearer the outside than the 
inside of the web of the shoe, and should be brought out on the upper side 
with a very slight inclination outwards, so as to diminish the risk of 
pricking. 



448 NAILS AND APPL YING THE SHOE. 

" Five nails are sufficient : therefore there must be three on one side 
and two on the other. The inside is chosen for the omission of the third 
nail. Six nails, viz., three on each side, are needed to hold a hind shoe in 
place." 

"Fullering [see Fig. 212] is objectionable because the groove 
weakens the shoe. Again, nails never fit so well or so tightly into the 
groove of the fuller as into countersunk holes [see Fig. 213]." — Sir F. 
Fitzwygram, ^^ Horses and Siables,'" p. 486 et seq. 

NAILS. 

" Nails must be made of the best and toughest iron, for none other can 
stand the strain and jar of fast work. The quality of the nail may be easily 
tested by fastening it in a vise. It should not break before pointing under 
five bendings." 

" The size of the nail must be varied according to the size of the foot 
and the weight of the shoe. The dimensions of the head must, of course, 
be proportionate to the size of the nail." 

" Rose-headed nails cannot exactly fit and fill the nail-holes. A portion 
of the neck of the nail must be in the shoe, and at that point it will be apt 
to break. Again, a portion of the head generally projects below the shoe, 
and that portion must be soon lost by friction with the ground." — Sir F. 
Fitzwygram, " Horses and Stables,'' p. 48^. 

APPLYING THE SHOE. 

"The shoe may be tried on warm enough to mark the crust. It is 
difficult to fit the shoe accurately without such marking. There is no real 
objection to the practice, as the horn is quite insensitive. But this permis- 
sion must not be made an excuse for burning down the crust." 

" The crust having been lowered by the rasp, aided as little as possible 
by the knife, and rendered smooth by the rasp, and its sharp edge having 
been rounded off, the shoe must then be so fitted that its outer edge cor- 
responds exactly with the crust. It must not be smaller than the crust, nor 
overlap it in the slightest degree. If a shoe be applied smaller than the 
crust, and such is the usual practice, the crust must be rasped down to it. 
If, on the other hand, the shoe be larger than the crust, treads and other 
injuries may be the result, and in deep ground the shoe may be pulled off. 



KE-SHOEING. 449 

Any mark, of the rasp on the crust is the sure sign that the farrier has not 
taken the trouble to fit the shoe to the foot." — Sir F. Fitz7vygram, " Norses 
and Stables,^'' p. 484. 

" The nails should be brought out in the hoof about an inch above the 
shoe. If brought out higher there will be risk of injury to the sensitive 
part of the horn. If lower, they will not get sufficient hold. But in feet 
which have been maltreated, it will be safer to bring the nails out some- 
what lower. The heel nails may be brought out somewhat lower than the 
toe and quarter nails." 

" The heads of the nails should be driven down very nearly, but not 
quite flush with the under surface of the shoe. A very little projection, 
however, is necessary in order that the pincers may be held firmly against 
the heads of the nails, whilst the clenches are being turned down, otherwise 
it is difficult to get a good firm clench." 

" Clenching is the technical term for turning down the end of the nail 
after it has been driven through the crust. The nail should be broken off 
as short as possible, and turned down and flattened by the hammer. The 
rasp should not be applied to the clench." — Sir F. Fifzwygram, ''Horses 
and Stables,''^ p. 487. 

" Nothing remains to be done but to bend down or ' clench ' the por- 
tion of nail so drawn up on the face of the wall. This should be accom- 
plished by shortening the fragment to a proper length by the rasp, so as to 
leave just enough to turn over ; the rasp also removes the small barb of horn 
raised in drawing up the nail, but without making a notch, and then the 
clench is laid down evenly. No more rasping or cutting should be allowed 
on any pretext whatever. 

" Very different to this treatment is that practised in nearly every forge, 
where the front of the hoof is rasped most unmercifully as high as the 
coronet. Over the whole external face of this part there appears to be 
spread a fine translucent horn, which looks like a varnish, whose office in 
all probability is to prevent undue drying of the hoof and consequent 
brittleness." — G. Fleming, " Practical Horseing,'" p. 82. 

RE-SHOEING. 

" The growth of the foot renders it necessary to refit every shoe at the 
end of a month. For reasons given above it is undesirable to burden a 




450 ANTI-SLIPPING SHOES AND SHARPENED SHOES. 

horse with heavier shoes than necessary. Therefore, the horse should be 
shod with tiew shoes every month. 

" Shoes, if properly fitted, and if resting on a sound unrasped crust, 
should not require to be removed during a month. The nails, however, 
should be frequently examined, and any that are faulty should be replaced." 
— Sir F. Fiizivygram, ^^ Horses and Stables,''' p. 483. 

ANTI-SLIPPING SHOES. 

In cities where the streets are asphalted 
it is the common practice to use shoes 
made with rubber bearings. These shoes 
are constructed in various forms, but 
aside from those designs which cover the 
entire surface of the bottom of the foot, 
any one of the many patent shoes answers 
the purpose fairly well. (See Fig. 214.) The sole and frog 
should not be covered, and if it is found necessary to inter- 
pose a leather pad between the hoof and the shoe to lessen 
the concussion, the leather should be cut away close to the 
inside of the shoe. 

SHARPENED SHOES FOR SNOW. 

When the ground is frozen or covered with snow the 
horse's shoes should have a toe and heel point. The calking 
in front should be the same length as those at the heels, so 
that the foot is kept level. These points soon wear down on 
bare, frozen ground, and they should be resharpened at fre- 
quent intervals. It is often found necessary to use calking 
boots in the stable to prevent the horse from injuring the 
hoof by standing with the prongs of one shoe on the wall of 
the other hoof. The only effective means of preventing a 
horse from " balling," /. e., packing the snow in hard lumps 



SHARPENED SHOES FOR SNOW. 451 

within the shoe, is by stuffing the feet with a preparation of 
gutta-percha. This material is prepared by the manufactur- 
ers, and it has only to be slightly warmed before applying. 
The writer has tried smearing the sole with glycerine and 
many other so-called preventatives, but the result has not 
been satisfactory. 




CHAPTER XVII. 

CONDITIONING, MOUTHING, EXERCISING, TRIMMING, PULLING THE 

MANE, HOGGING, DOCKING, CLIPPING, SINGEING, 

PASTURING AND WINTERING. 




The subjects dealt with in 
this chapter, together with 
those considered in the pre- 
ceding one, are those which 
have especial reference to the 
treatment required to establish 
and maintain the horse in a 
healthful, useful and presenta- 
ble condition. The constitution, temperament and peculiari- 
ties of horses vary to such an extent, and the many other cir- 
cumstances attending the care of horses bear so much weight, 
that it is impossible to offer specific advice. On the other 
hand, the reader should hesitate and demand common-sense 
reasons for any radical changes in the care of his horses 
before permitting his servant to deviate from the suggestions 
here given. The writer's advice may not always be the best, 
but it will be found conservative, and the owner can, by a 
little experimenting, discover how quickly the condition of 
the horse indicates the practice of a fallacious theory. 

CONDITIONING. 

Conditioning is the term applied to the preparation of a 
horse for the work which he is intended to regularly per- 



CONDITIONING. 453 

form. Such training is made necessary, owing to physical 
impairment, the result of, first, the unhealthy, fatty state in 
which most horses come from the hands of dealers; and, 
second, on account of the want of firmness and tone in the 
tissues of those horses which have not been in constant use. 
Many cases of sickness and strained tendons are due to the 
sudden transition from a mild to a highly stimulating diet, 
and from a comparative state of rest to an unaccustomed 
amount of work. The necessity of gradual training for any 
athletic work is universally recognized, and the irrational 
treatment of the horse, under similar circumstances, can 
only be considered proof of the owner's lack of knowledge 
or of his indifference. 

In conditioning, the treatment to be followed will depend 
upon circumstances. If the system of the horse is in an 
unhealthy state, owing to improper feeding or to the inju- 
rious action of tonics, the animal should be thoroughly phys- 
icked, but when the horse is merely taken up from pasture or 
into active service, after being kept on low but wholesome diet, 
purging is not only unnecessary but harmful. Physicking is 
intended to remove impurities from the body ; but when 
these do not exist, its effect is to reduce the system, without 
producing any counterbalancing result. When a horse 
comes from a dealer or is known to have been improperly 
fed it is advisable to submit the animal to a thorough clear- 
ing out, preparation for which should not be made in the 
few hours usually allotted to this treatment by ignorant 
stable servants, but the bowels should be prepared for the 
action of the physic ball several days prior to administering 
the medicine. If this is done the dose need be neither so 
large nor so strong as would otherwise be required, and the 



454 CONDITIONING. 

bowels, in addition to responding more thoroughly to the 
action of the drug, regain their normal condition more 
rapidly. Gripes may be thus prevented and the convales- 
cence of the patient promoted. On the second and third days 
before the horse is to be physicked the three feedings of oats 
should be reduced one half, and a bran mash of equivalent 
weight given in its place. The day before the physic the 
oats should be entirely withdrawn, and in their stead a cor- 
responding iveight of bran mash allowed. On the morning 
of the third day a " ball " of aloes should be given, and the 
horse deprived of his early morning fare. 

" Aloes is by far the best and safest purgative. Cape and East India 
are inferior to Barbadoes, chiefly on account of the greater proportion of 
resinous matter they contain. Aloes is usually and most conveniently given 
in the solid form as a ball. Four or five drachms are a sufficient dose for 
most horses if properly prepared; but large heavy horses may perhaps 
require five or six. It usually operates in about twenty-four hours. 

"The following prescriptions for an aloetic mass are recommended in 
preference to those made up with oils or other fats : 

Barbadoes aloes ..... 8 parts. 

Glycerine . . . . . . . 2 " 

Powdered ginger ..... i " 

" Melt together in water and thoroughly incorporate. 

" Dose from 6 to 8 drachms. 

" In cases where the use of ginger is considered objectionable, the 
same quantity of powdered gentian root may be substituted. The action of 
the medicine will be slightly increased. 

" Aloetic medicine should not be made up in balls until required for 
use, but should be kept in a mass in a glass-stoppered bottle. When divided 
into small portions, as in balls, it soon becomes dry and hard, and is then 
uncertain iii its effects. A single ball can be made up by reducing the 
aloes (4 or 5 drachms) to powder in a mortar, and adding 2 drachms of 



MOUTHING, ETC. 455 

ginger with sufificient treacle to form a soft mass. The ball must then be 
wrapped in soft paper." — Sir F. Fiizwygram, " Horses and Stables,'' p. 14^. 

When the physic has acted the animal may be allowed, 
at the noon and evening feedings, bran mashes, and grad- 
ually returned to a moderate amount of oats, six or eight 
quarts per day. If from the effects of the " ball " the horse 
continues soft on the third day, he should be induced to 
drink half a pailful of tepid water into which a handful of 
flour has been mixed. From this time on the treatment of 
the horse is the same as one which has been in idleness. 
They should, at first, both be given very light work on a 
lounging-rein (see Fig. 215), and the exercise gradually in- 
creased. The quantity and nature of the fodder should be 
relative to the amount of work. At first five or six quarts 
of oats with occasional bran mashes and the usual amount 
of hay will be sufficient, but as the horse " hardens up,'' the 
quantity of oats should be daily increased to eight or ten 
quarts. From one to four weeks is required to get a carriage 
or saddle horse in good condition. If he is fat and becomes 
easily " blown," is thin and scours, or sweats readily, his 
training may be considered incomplete. The sweat of a 
horse, in good hard condition, is like water, while thick, 
lathery sweat indicates the reverse. 

" Horses that come fresh from a dealer's have usually been fed on soft 
food. When first brought into a stable they will require a dose of physic, 
gentle exercise, beginning with walking and gradually increasing in amount 
and pace, and a diet of hard corn for a week or a fortnight before they will 
be fit to do hard work." — Eari of Onslow, Badtninton, " Driving,'' p. yj. 

MOUTHING, ETC. 

The two defects common to most carriage and saddle 
horses are, first, " bad manners " ; and, second, the wasteful 



456 MOUTHING, ETC. 

expenditure of energy. Both of these defects are in a great 
measure due to a neglect of proper bit training. The ma- 
jority of horses, whether bought from dealers or private 
owners, have never gone through a course of mouthing, and 
by such animals a bit is treated merely as something to pull 
against. Some dealers give their horses a few weeks' school- 
ing, but accustoming the animal to city sights occupies most 
of their thoughts and time. The mouthing incidentally 
given is usually very incomplete, and its full development 
falls to the owner or his representative, who has in most 
cases to undo what has been done and commence at the 
beginning. 

A complete system of training the horse to a proper 
response to the bit begins first with the education of the ani- 
mal to the feeling of a bit in the mouth. The mouthing bit 
is the type used for this purpose. (See p. 273.) Side reins, 
made with a rubber section, should be attached to the rings of 
the bit and the roller, and sufficient pressure exerted to teach 
the horse that it is to his advantage " to give " — bend his 
neck and head — so that the pressure will cease. As the effect 
of these side reins is to bring new muscles into play, the 
length of the reins at first should be sufficient to allow the 
horse to hold his head in almost its customary position. 

The second object of mouthing is to teach the horse to 
carry his head in such a position that the mouth -piece will, 
when drawn by the reins, bear upon the most sensitive part 
of the mouth, /. e., the bars or gums lying between the 
tushes and back teeth. Owing to the manner in which the bit 
is suspended from the cheek-pieces of the bridle the mouth- 
piece will fall most accurately on the bars when the draught 
of the reins is exerted at riorht anoles to the bars. Hence 



MOUTHING, ETC. 457 

a horse that is to be driven in a low wagon will not be re- 
quired to flex his neck to the extent that he would if the 
reins were to be held by the driver at a higher point. The 
position desired is one in which the bars of the mouth or 
the cheek-pieces of the bridle are at right angles to the reins, 
when the latter are taut. The horse should never be al- 
lowed to flex his neck to such an extent as to impair his 
breathing powers by partly closing the windpipe, and the 
following extract is quoted to show that there are some 
horses so formed that it is not only disadvantageous but cruel 
to carry the flexing of the neck beyond certain limits : 

"There are some horses so peculiarly formed about the neck that they 
have little more pliability in it than a pig. Yet is this horse wanted, and 
by some expected, to carry his head in as good a place, or nearly so, as the 
finer made one. To make him do this, or rather to attempt to make him 
do it, his mouth is tortured and bored at till it becomes as hard as the hand 
of a blacksmith or a bricklayer's laborer. Any judge of horses would see 
whereabouts nature had intended and enabled the animal to carry his 
head and neck, and would not attempt to make him do that which it was 
impossible he could do ; and by allowing him to carry it in such place, the 
animal's mouth would perhaps be as pleasant as that of any other horse." — 
Charles Brindley, ^^ Practical Horsemanship,^'' p. 88. 

A very little pressure should be used during the first 
few days, and the lesson should not last more than a quarter 
of an hour; but as the horse learns to flex his neck the 
side reins should be gradually tightened. The effect of the 
schooling is lessened if the horse is fastened to the pillar- 
reins, as he soon learns to lean upon them. As soon as the 
work has progressed to a point where the horse has learned 
to hold his head in the desired position when standing, he 
must next be taught to carry it in the same manner when 
in motion. For this part of the schooling a Blackwell's 



458 



MOUTHING, ETC. 



dumb jockey (see Fig. 215) should be used, and the horse's 
knees protected by knee-boots. The side reins should be 
let out three or four holes from the tightest point hitherto 
reached and a lounging-rein of webbing or leather, fifteen or 
twenty feet long, fastened to the ring on the centre of the 
nose-band of the lounging-bridle or cavesson. The object of 
using this ring is to prevent any one-sided pressure falling 
on the modth, and also to obviate any pressure conflicting 
with that of the side reins. The horse should be walked in 




FIG. 215. 

a circle four or five times in one direction and then in the 
other. From time to time he should be stopped and started 
and the side reins adjusted daily. The horse should be made 
to change his gaits quickly, from a walk to a trot and vice 
versa, and if a saddle horse to spring into a canter from either 
a walk or a trot, leading with the right foot. These move- 
ments should be repeated frequently until the horse becomes 
thoroughly "handy," /. (?., obeys readily. Whatever type of 
or martingale is to be used on the horse, 



bearing-rein 



MOUTHING, ETC. 459 

should be put on and the animal accustomed to its action dur- 
ing this period of schooling. 

The third purpose of these primary lessons is to teach 
the horse to carry himself properly. By compelling the 
animal to flex his neck and carry his head low and compara- 
tively near the body the natural balance is disturbed and 
the power of speed diminished, but the horse's action is 
brought into a smaller compass and made more uniform. 
The result is that he moves like clockwork, and is so col- 
lected that he is not thrown off his feet by any sudden stop- 
ping or turning, and is consequently more sure footed. 
Combined with such training there should be a certain 
amount of time allotted to schooling the horse over a circle 
of straw or cornstalks with here and there a log so placed 
that it can be readily seen. This form of work improves 
the action of the fore and hind legs, making them act in 
unison, and causes the horse to be on the lookout for ob- 
structions. 

The reader will be surprised to see how much more easily 
a horse is controlled and improved in his action after hav- 
ing been thoroughly schooled in this manner. Many horses 
that required severe bits and that interfered, forged or 
stumbled have, by careful bitting and schooling, been after- 
wards easily driven in the mildest forms of bits, and all 
defects in their action have disappeared. The training, 
however, should only be intrusted to a competent man who 
carefully advances the work from day to day, and sees that 
the horse does not become over-fatigued, that the harness 
is properly and comfortably adjusted, and that the horse's 
mouth is absolutely free of any injury from the action of 
the bit. The cost of a Blackwell's dumb jockey is $36.00. 



460 EXERCISING. 

EXERCISING. 

Horses in private stables are either not given sufficient 
exercise or it is not uniform in its amount ; that is, too 
much on some days and too little on others. To keep car- 
riage and saddle horses in good condition they should 
perform between six and twelve miles per day. Horses in 
the average stable are under-exercised and inconsiderately 
exposed in cold and wet weather. As horses are luxuries, it 
is not to be supposed that an owner who merely employs 
them in being comfortably transported from one place to 
another will put himself to the inconvenience of using the 
carriage for the sole purpose of giving the horses exercise. 
Instead, the all too common practice is to have the horses 
wait before the house, shop or theatre door from half an 
hour to an hour and a half, often on the coldest or dampest 
days in winter. Such treatment, if the horses live, is fol- 
lowed by leaving the animals tied in their stalls for three or 
four successive days without work or exercise, but receiving 
the full quota of fodder. 

Many of the accidents which are blamed upon the frac- 
tiousness of a horse are due to a lack of a uniform amount of 
exercise. Being too well fed he is ready to "jump out of his 
skin " and perform antics which the ignorant coachman does 
not expect and is unable to control. A diminished diet and 
an hour's exercise on off days will keep spirited animals 
within bounds. If the stable is a small one the carriage horses 
will have to be exercised under saddle, owing to the lack of 
space for an exercising wagon and harness, but when these 
can be kept it is advisable to give a horse the same kind of 
exercise he is accustomed to in work. The same applies to 
saddle horses, and a saddle for this purpose should be kept. 



EXERCISING. 



461 



In cities when the horse is exercised on cold days an exercis- 
ing blanket and sometimes a hood should be used, as fast work 
cannot be given in the crowded thoroughfares. A horse is 
better for exercise even on rainy days if properly cared for 
when he comes in. 

When a pair are taken out under saddle the horse which 
is led should be under the restraint of a side rein attached to 
a surcingle on the off side and the bit of the bridle. (See Fig. 
216.) This rein ought to be made of two straps buckled 




FIG. 216. 



together so that they may be adjusted to the required length. 
The lead rein should be fastened to the bit on the off side, 
and the loose end passed under the chin and through the 
ring of the bit on the nigh side. The bits used should 
always be single or double ringed snaffles, unless there is 
some particular need for a severer form. All exercising 
blankets should extend only to the shoulder, the ends being 
held in place either by a breast-piece or straps made of 
blanket cloth. (See Fig. 216.) The use of knee-boots 



462 EXERCISING. 

should be insisted upon for both carriage and saddle horses, 
and a bridle with winkers used on the former when exer- 
cised under saddle. 

The middle of the day in winter and early in the morn- 
ing in summer are the best times for the airing. Only a 
reliable and competent man should be allowed to exercise the 
horses, as such work affords opportunities for inefficient 
stable servants to get into no end of trouble. A good deal of 
watchfulness is required to prevent the time given for exer- 
cise being transferred to personal visits, etc. Defects in the 
horse's manners and the fear of certain objects should be 
corrected during these outings. 

" The best stables, the best food and the best grooming will not secure 
condition — that is, the highest degree of horse health — without sufficient 
and regular exercise. The degree will depend on how long the horse has 
been in use. 

" When hunters are wound up to high condition, if their daily exercise 
is stopped by a heavy fall of snow or any other cause, they must be imme- 
diately put on bran mashes, most of their corn and all of their beans stopped, 
otherwise the effect of large feeds of stimulating food is almost sure to pro- 
duce attacks of inflammation, ending in roaring, ophthalmia, fever of the 
feet, and a host of diseases which will be still more dangerous if, to keep 
thin coats sleek and shining, the stables are deprived of supplies of fresh 
air, and turned into the groom's paradise — a sort of hothouse." — S. Sidney, 
'^The Book of the Horse,'' pp. 47 j and 315. 

"Another very great mistake is made by many persons in considering 
that old horses should be indulged by an extra allowance of rest compared 
to that which is permitted the young ones of their stud. The incentive to 
such practice is an amiable, but it is at the same time a mistaken one. Old 
horses cannot bear entire rest ; they may be favored as to the frequency of 
calling forth great exertion from them, but a couple of days of entire rest 
brings on all their old aches and pains arising from work, blows and falls. 
Exercise is life to them ; it keeps the vital functions going ; and limbs that 



TRIMMING. 463 

regular and daily exercise keep pliant, become stiff and rigid by continued 
absence of motion. Any exertion under such circumstances is attended with 
pain ; and if an old horse is still in a state of work without pain to himself, 
the only way to enable him to do so is to keep him going. Young horses, 
on the contrary, require a considerable length of comparative rest to recover 
from unusual exertion. They have not been long enough accustomed to it 
for habit to have familiarized its effects either to the limbs, muscles or con- 
stitution, all of which suffer considerable temporary prostration by it, how- 
ever little youthful spirits may make them show it. The old horse is so 
accustomed to exertion that in him its chief effect is in creating stiffness^ 
which proper exercise carries off." — Charles Brindley, ''The Hunting Field,'' 
p. 6 1 et seq. 

TRIMMING. 

Every well kept horse requires " trimming up " from time 
to time. Some persons consider that, with the horse, beauty 
" unadorn'd, adorn'd the most," which in some cases is true, 
as is instanced in the trotter, but as soon as man submits 
the horse to any refinements, they should be carried to 
a full state of development. The outlines of a horse should 
never be allowed to be broken by the presence of long hairs, 
such as appear on the fetlock joints, edges of the ears and 
around the jowl and muzzle. 

The hairs on the fetlock joint should be cut moderately 
short with a pair of scissors and then trimmed up with a 
hand clipper, after which the hair over the tendons just above 
should be thinned out by the fingers and not by the clipper, 
in order to prevent a line of short bristles from showing 
where the work ends. By combining the use of the clippers 
with hand pulling of the long hairs, the object of the trim- 
ming may be obtained with a perfectly smooth natural 
appearance. The work when done in this way is much 
more satisfactory than when done with a singeing lamp. 



464 



TRIMMING. 







FIG. 217. 



PULLING THE MANE. 465 

The hair of the ears should be trimmed only at the edges ; 
that on the inside should never be touched, as it affords 
a necessary protection against dirt and dust to these very 
valuable organs. As the long hairs on the muzzle blur the 
outline of the lower part of the head and are comparatively 
unnecessary as a means of protection to the horse in captivity, 
they should be removed. Scissors should be used in prefer- 
ence to a singeing lamp, which is likely to frighten a horse 
owing to the extreme sensitiveness of this part. The impor- 
tance of affording every protection to the eyes is so great 
that on no account should the few long hairs with which 
they are surrounded be removed or even cut. Trimming 
combs are made of various materials, such as brass, steel, 
rubber and bone. The chief variety in form is shown in 
Fig. 217. 




FIG. 21; 
PULLING THE MANE. 



The manes of all horses with short tails should be pulled, 
and that of ponies treated in the same way or hogged. For 
pulling the mane the fingers, roughened with a little pow- 
dered resin, are better than the metal forks manufactured 
for that purpose. (See Fig. 218.) The mane, if heavy, should 
be thinned, not from the under or outer side, but from the 
middle, bv twistinq; a few strands of hair around the fore- 
finger and removing it evenly, beginning at the upper end 
just back of the ears. As the work progresses the hair 



466 HOGGING. 

should be combed out from time to time to guide the opera- 
tor in the trimming. The mane should be made about three 
inches long at the centre and its length gradually decreased 
toward the ends. The length, however, must vary according 
to the conformation of the neck. 

The aim should be to make the mane light and lie flat 
with a perfectly even edge. Unruly manes should be dam- 
pened and weighted either with a rod that is made for this 
purpose or by plaiting the hair and attaching small pieces of 
lead to the ends. Devices which make the hair wavy should 
not be employed. The forelock should be thinned and 
shortened to correspond with the mane; the objectionable 
practice of cutting off the forelock and hair which comes 
under the crown-piece of the bridle should not be allowed. 

HOGGING. 

Hogging, that is, cropping the main and forelock off 
close to the skin, should be limited to ponies ; if horses are 
treated in this way, it gives them an ungainly, mulish ap- 
pearance, and although it was at one time customary to treat 
the manes of hunters in this manner, the practice has been 
largely discontinued, owing to a recognition of the value of 
the mane as an aid when mounting and its appearance to 
the horse. The mane of a pony which is to be hogged 
should be cut short with shears and then trimmed close to 
the skin with a pair of clippers (see Figs. 222, 223), the edge of 
which should be inserted in the centre of the mane and run 
down to the hair on the neck. Care should be taken to clip 
the hair evenly and that the outline of the neck is perfectly 
smooth. No marks of the clippers should be made on the 
hair at the sides of the mane. To keep the mane short and 



TRIMMING THE TAIL. 



467 



in good condition this work should be done every three 
weeks. If the mane is allowed to grow three or four inches 
long it destroys the contour of the neck and makes the ani- 
mal look little better than a donkey. 



TRIMMING THE TAIL. 



The trimming of tails is intended to give a neat, natty 
appearance, but the clumsiness of an underbred nag is only 
accentuated by such treatment. To make trimming ap- 




FIG. 219. 




FIG. 220. 



propriate, fairly good conformation, action and spirit are 
necessary. There is an English fashion prevalent at the 
present time of allowing the hairs on the tail of a docked 
horse to remain untrimmed. This is a fad, and has nothing 
to recommend it except novelty. 

The shape in which the hair is to be cut should be largely 
determined by the manner the tail is carried. Large horses 



468 



TRIMMING THE TAIL. 



should not have the hair trimmed so short as small, stocky, 
close-knit animals. The person who does the trimming 
should be provided with a comb, a dandy brush, a long, heavy 
straight pair of shears (see Fig. 219) and a pair of curved 
scissors. (See Fig. 220.) The hair should first be brushed 
straight down with the dampened brush and then combed 
and parted in the centre along the top of the bone. The 
end of the bone is held by an assistant in a position as near 
as possible to that in which it is naturally carried. With the 
laro^e straio-ht shears the hair is cut until the Qreneral outline 
of the desired form is obtained, when the comb and dandy 




brush are again employed in parting and combing the hair. 
The cutting now progresses more slowly, the length and 
shape of the two sides is made uniform, and at short inter- 
vals the horse is trotted up and down to enable the trimmer 
to see the effect of his work. If the tail is very heavy the 
hair underneath is evenly cut out with the curved scissors. 
Another method employed is to have the assistant hold a 
flat board under the horse's tail. The hair is parted and 
combed out flat and then cut on the board with a sharp 
knife. Any long hairs, etc., are trimmed with the straight 
shears. This manner of cutting the hair is very effective 
with thin-tailed horses, but is not so accurate when the hair 



DOCKING. 469 

is heavy and bushy. When ignorant grooms are allowed" 
to try their hand at trimming a tail, they give an optical 
proof of the one idea their heads are capable of holding in 
regard to tail trimming, namely, that almost all the hair is to 
be cut off. Being bunglers, they heedlessly cut away, first at 
one side and then at the other, until the hair has been cut to 
the bone. For protecting the tails of horses that are being 
shipped or forwarded to horse shows a covering of leather 
is used. (See Fig. 221.) 

DOCKING. 

The first improvement or disfigurement, as the reader 
may consider it, that the average carriage or saddle horse 
undergoes is the cutting of the tail. The operator who 
merely "squares off" the tail destroys the natural beauty 
without giving it new character, and having no conception 
of the need of corresponding comeliness in other parts, rests 
satisfied. If the reader is opposed to the operation or to 
the use of docked horses he is advised to avoid a compro- 
mise. A short tail gives a horse a smart, natty appearance ; 
the long tail, if well formed and carried, completes the grace- 
ful outlines of the horse's body ; but a " banged " tail destroys 
both effects, and in addition to looking like a meal bag tied 
to the horse's rump, or a feather duster if carried high, pos- 
sesses many of the objectionable features of both extremes. 

Horses which are much longer in the body than they 
are high at the withers do not look well with short tails, 
and it is therefore wise to take the conformation and action 
into consideration before irrevocably committing a horse to 
a short-tailed existence. Only experienced eyes can pre- 
conceive the effect that would be produced by cutting and 



470 DOCKING. 

trimming the tail of a horse. There are so many controlling 
influences to be taken into consideration, such as shape, 
build, carriage, etc., that unless a person is thoroughly famil- 
iar with horses of different stamps he should not place too 
much confidence in his ability to anticipate results. 

The question of docking is seldom determined by the 
merits of the dispute, but purely on personal desire — like the 
shooting of birds or deer. If we are hungry the act is 
condoned on the ground of necessity, while the killing of a 
bird or animal for idle amusement is denounced ; yet the 
pain to the creatures is in no way lessened or increased by 
the motive of the destroyer. Though the necessity of dock- 
ing is not as apparent as that of supplementing an ample 
meal with a course of woodcock or a shoulder of venison, 
yet it exists and always will, so long as this particular fash- 
ion sways its power. 

As the operation of docking will in all probability be 
performed for many years to come, notwithstanding that it 
is forbidden by law in many states, the least painful means 
of executing it is described. The animal can be spared all 
the preliminary fear to which he is unnecessarily submitted 
in being twitched, bound or otherwise confined. When the 
time for the operation arrives, the blanket should be folded 
back, the horse standing in his stall as under ordinary cir- 
cumstances. The hair is then cut away for a foot or more 
from below the joint that is to be severed, and that which 
remains above is tied back with a cord. The skin is pulled 
up over the bone as much as possible and then tied an 
inch above the joint with a piece of catgut firmly, but not 
as tight as it can be drawn. For the cutting a docking knife 
should always be used to the exclusion of such crude imple- 



CLIPPING. 471 

ments as hatchet, saw or knife. The centre of the under 
arm should be placed against the joint, so that the knife 
falls on the middle of the joint socket. The upper arm 
should then be brought firmly and rapidly down. Many, if 
not most, of the cases of lockjaw caused by docking are the 
result of the tail being cut by an ignorant operator, who 
cuts, or rather crushes, through the solid bone, which results 
in inflammation and blood poisoning. When the joint has 
been cut, the hair which was tied back should be released 
and retied around the end of the bone ; by this means the 
blood is caught and soon forms a plug. Searing, i. e., burn- 
ing the end of the tail with a hot iron, should not be allowed. 
After the elapse of three or four days, the catgut should 
be removed, the tail gently washed in tepid water, and when 
dry the trimming can be commenced. 

CLIPPING. 

The advantages of removing, by clipping, the heavy coat 
of such horses as are required to perform fast work in win- 
ter is so well recognized by all horse owners of experience 
that all theoretical objections should bear little weight in 
the reader's consideration of the practice. 

The process of clipping formerly was done with a pair 
of shears and a comb, but the hand (see Figs. 222, 223) and 
foot power machines (see Fig. 224) have, except in remote 
districts, superseded this primitive method. The removal of 
the coat usually includes all parts except the hair on the 
inside of the ears ; but unless there are a number of ser- 
vants to care for the horses when they return to the stable, 
it is advisable to omit removing the hair on the legs from 
the forearm of the fore legs and the gaskins of the hind 



472 



BAND CLIPPING MACHINES. 




FIG. 2 2 2. 




FIG. 223. 



CLIPPING. 



473 



ones to the hoof. The protection which the hair affords to 
the lower parts of the legs can only be safely dispensed 
with when careful attention is given to drying them thor- 
oughly after work. Cracked heels are the common result 



of neglect under these conditions. 



Although there are men 




FIG. 224. 

who make a specialty of clipping horses, any competent stable 
servant should be able to perform this task in a satisfactory 
manner. Many men clip a horse in such a way that the 
animal's coat is uneven and scarred with lines. If properly 
done there should be neither ridges nor streaks ; the coat 
should present a perfectly smooth, velvety appearance. Re- 



474 



SINGEING, PASTURING AND TURNING OUT 



garding the time required for clipping a horse it is hardly 
possible to say, as there are so many conditions any one of 
which may or may not exist, such as the horse being rest- 
less, nervous, the coat being heavy or light, and the quality 
and condition of the clipping machine. It is said that the 
record time for clipping a horse with the hand machine is 
one hour and twelve minutes. 

SINGEING. 

" Stable men have long been in the habit of singeing away the long, 
loose hair which grows about the jaws, throat, neck, belly, and quarters of 
horses that have been much exposed to the cold ; a flame is applied and 
the hair is allowed to blaze for a moment, when it is extinguished by draw- 
ing the hand or a damp cloth over it. . . . But singeing is now done by a 




FIG. 225. 



kind of knife, having a movable back, which is surrounded with tow moist- 
ened with spirit of wine and set on fire. As the knife is drawn over the 
hairs, their points start and are taken off by the flame. When properly 
performed this operation does not disfigure the horse so much as might be 
expected. He does not look so ill as a clipped horse, and his hair is never 
so generally shortened." — John Stewart, " Stabk Economy,'" p. iiQ. 

PASTURING AND TURNING OUT. 

It frequently happens that a horse is turned out either 
in a pasture or dirt paddock for the purpose of convalescing 
or to reduce the cost of his keep. The owner must realize 



PASTURING AND TURNING OUT 475 

that a horse given an unHmited quantity of grass cannot 
be taken up at any time and put through the same amount 
of work that he performs when given his full quota of 
oats and is daily groomed. A horse derives much benefit 
from the use of a dirt paddock in the early morning and 
evening; or if left out on warm clear nights such treatment 
should not prove detrimental to his working condition. The 
same care in turning a horse into a paddock should be taken 
as is advised for an animal being acclimated to pasturino-. 
The idea that roughing it hardens the horse and tones up 
his constitution has long since been proved fallacious, and 
none but the most ignorant master would think of turning 
his horse out in the rain, wind and snow unprotected either 
by clothing or the shelter of a shed or barn. The transition 
from a condition of working activity to that of quiet graz- 
ing should be gradual in every respect. The amount of 
oats given and the blanketing should be lessened, and the 
horse accustomed to little or no clothing before being finally 
turned out. 

As a precautionary measure against sprains, etc., the 
horse should be given some hard work before being allowed 
to enjoy his limited freedom. A bright warm day should be 
chosen on which to begin the outing, and in spring, fall and 
winter the horse should be turned out in the middle of the day 
for only a short time, half an hour or a trifle longer is suffi- 
cient. As the horse's appetite for the coveted clover is very 
sharp for the first few days, he should be prevented from phys- 
icking himself by being either fed just before he is turned 
loose or by muzzling. At any season of the year, except 
midsummer, the horse should be afforded for a few days 
the protection of an old blanket, either heavy or light de- 



476 PASTURING AND TURNING OUT 

pending upon the time of year. The clothing should be 
snugly kept in place by straps across the chest and a strong 
surcingle. 

During fly time and in hot weather the horse should be 
taken up in the middle of the day and given as much pro- 
tection from these sources of annoyance as circumstances 
permit. In June and July the servants should examine the 
fore quarters each day, and if any eggs of the gadfly are 
found they should be removed. They may easily be detected, 
as they are of a reddish color and about the size of a pin- 
head. If these larvae are not destroyed the horse licks them 
off, and by such means they are conveyed into the intestines, 
where they develop into bots. 

' " It is entirely useless to attempt any treatment to rid the horse of bots; 
they go at their appointed time, and cannot be dislodged before this. We 
should remember that in following their natural course or stages of existence 
the bots loose their hold during May and June mostly. They are then 
expelled in great numbers, and horse owners, noticing them in the manure, 
hasten to us, saying, ' My horse has the bots.' If we are honest we tell him 
that, in the natural course of events, nature is doing for him that which 
we cannot do. We may say in conclusion, then, that bots seldom produce 
any evil effects whatever ; that no more than once in ten thousand times are 
they the cause of colicky symptoms, and that they require no medicine to 
eject them." — C. B. Michener, in " Special Report on the Diseases of the 
Horse ^^ U. S. Department of Agriculture, p. j6. 

It is of the greatest importance that the paddock or field 
should be thoroughly inspected before the horse is allowed 
his freedom. Defective fencing, barb wire, nails, glass, ver- 
min, holes and quicksand are the chief dangers met with. 
If possible two or more horses should not be turned out in 
the same field for the first time together, as they are apt to 
injure one another. On clear, warm, summer nights horses 



WINTERING. 477 

may be left out to advantage. By leaving the head-collar 
on, the capture of a loose horse is facilitated. Some oats 
shaken in a sieve or measure often induce a wary horse to 
come within reach, or he may be caught by being allowed to 
follow a more quiet companion into the stable. 

"The influence of soil upon the horse's feet and legs has been much 
spoken of, but it has been much exaggerated. Horses reared in soft, marshy 
pastures have large, flat feet, low at the heels and weak everywhere. On 
dry ground the hoof is hard, strong and small, the sole concave, and the 
heels high, but to confer any peculiar character upon the hoof, or produce 
any change upon it, a long and continued residence upon the same soil is 
necessary. A period of six months does, perhaps, produce a change, but 
in general it is so insignificant that it is not apparent." 

'•' When the pastures are hard, baked by the sun, unshod horses are apt to 
break away the crust, and they often come home with hardly horn enough to 
hold a nail. Feet that have never been shod suffer less ; others should, in 
general, be preserved by light shoes, especially on the fore feet. Kicking 
horses, when shod behind, are rather dangerous among others." — John 
Stewart, " Stable Economy,'" pp. 308, jog. 

WINTERING. 

Many owners having no occasion to use their horses in 
winter prefer to board them out instead of selling them at 
the close of the season. Unfortunately for the horse, and 
for the owner it may be added, the place selected is seldom 
chosen on account of its facilities or advantages, but oftener 
because the rate charged by some unscrupulous livery stable 
keeper or ignorant farmer is a dollar or two less per month 
than that asked by reliable care-takers. Happily the better 
accommodations offered by country clubs, gentlemen farmers 
and respectable breeders is depriving such rascals and dul- 
lards of the opportunities to cheat the horse's stomach in 
order to gratify their own. The payment of a fair price 



478 WINTERING. 

for the horse's board will be as advantageous to the owner 
as a matter of economy as it will be conducive to the com- 
fort of the horse. If the question of intelligent supervision 
is considered, the horse is best off in the care of a breeder. 
The head servants in charge of country club stables are no 
better nor more enlightened than they should be, but the 
accommodations are usually very fair. Rather than intrust a 
horse to rural sharks, it is more humane to chance the ani- 
mal's fate at the auction mart. The charge for good board 
varies between twelve and twenty dollars per month, depend- 
ing upon the character of the quarters, the amount of food 
and care given. All horses upon going out of active service 
should have the amount of their work, fodder and clothing 
gradually reduced, and not be suddenly transferred from one 
condition to the other. Either the change should be instituted 
before the horse leaves the owner's stable or by the person in 
whose care the animal is left. The general custom is to allow 
the horse to run rough without any grooming, a practice disap- 
proved by many authorities and by the author, except when 
the horse is exposed in cold and wet weather; the oily ex- 
cretions then offer a protection to the body. Concerning 
this matter, Lieut.-Gen. Sir F. Fitzwygram, in his book en- 
titled " Horses and Stables," says: 

"Again, if health is to be preserved, horses which for eight months in 
the year are accustomed to be groomed, ought to be groomed during the 
remaining four. It is a fallacy to suppose that the horse, when thrown out 
of work, does not require to be groomed. In reality, he needs it far more 
for some months, than when at work." — /. 8j. 

The horse should have his shoes removed as soon as the 
active exercise has been brought to an end and allowed the 
freedom of a box stall, measuring, at least, lox lo. The 



WINTERING. 



479 



horse should be provided with an old head-collar, halter 
shank and a pair of heavy blankets and stout surcingle. 
During the entire course of the winter he should receive a 
fair diet, from four to six quarts of oats and from twelve to 
eighteen pounds of hay per day, and occasionally some green 
fodder, i. c, carrots and mangles. The bedding should be 
warm and clean. Such treatment will prolong the useful- 
ness of a horse, and although thirty or forty dollars could be 
saved each twelve months on his board, an outlay of two or 
more hundred dollars would have to be made at the end of 
three or four years in the hazarous purchase of a new horse. 




CHAPTER XVIII. 



BITTING, THE BEARING-REIN, PREPARING THE HORSE FOR SADDLE 
OR HARNESS, SADDLING, HARNESSING, PUTTING v^N LIVERY, 
*' PUTTING TO," POSITION ON THE BOX, GROOm's DUTIES, 
THE USE OF A CARRIAGE, DISTANCE, UNSADDLING, UNHAR- 
NESSIXC;, CARE OF HORSES, CARRIAGES, STEELS, HARNESS, 
SADDLES, WHIPS, LIVERY AND ROBES. 

We have now 
come to the de- 
tails, which, if 
not the most in- 
teresting, are 



certainly indis- 
pensable factors 
in determining 
to what degree 
an equipage is 
turned out in a 
workmanlike 
manner. The 
^-'^T^^.:^* horse and car- 

riage may be 
respectively of good quality and design, the harness and 
livery of excellent material and cut, and the servant well 
built and of good appearance ; but unless the parts of the 
epuipage are in perfect condition, and unless the coachman 
has the proper appreciation of correctness and neatness in 

480 




BITTING. 481 

the matter of appointments, all of the owner's judgment and 
good taste in the selection of the various parts will only 
tend to emphasize the neglect or incompetency of his 
servant. A person using a victoria must turn out such a 
vehicle with more regard to quality and neatness than a 
bucolic who merely employs a wagon as a means of con- 
veyance. The matter of appointments is very much like 
that of dress ; the greater the pretensions assumed the more 
care must be observed to have the apparel suit the hour 
and the man. With the exception of the ridiculous sight 
of the owner of a tandem or coach being driven by his 
servant on either of these vehicles, there is nothing which 
opens a person to so much just criticism as his ignorance or 
indifference regarding the appearance of his equipage. It 
is not necessary that the carriage, harness, etc., should be 
elaborate, but, taken as a whole or in part, they should be 
correct. 

BITTING. 

In whatever manner a horse is used, the rider's or driver's 
control over the animal is primarily determined by two 
factors: first, the use of a suitable bit; and, second, the 
proper fitting of it in the horse's mouth. Although ex- 
tremely severe bits are not advised, the use of curb bits, when 
properly employed, are recommended to the private horse 
owner. The writer's reasons for such advice are as follows : 
the pressure of the ordinary snaffle or straight mouth-piece 
is not suiTficiently sharp to prevent the majority of horses 
from learning to "bore" against it; the consequence is that 
the rider or driver is compelled to exert an opposing press- 
ure of equal force, so that all delicacy of feeling is lost in 
the horse's mouth and to the rider's or driver's hands. With 



482 BITTING. 

a more severe bit the horse avoids bringing its severity into 
action by taking a lighter hold, and in turn the rider or driver, 
unless he is very insensible, merely "feels" the horses 
mouth. A severe bit used by a heavy handed driver is un- 
der such conditions converted into an instrument of torture. 

" I should perhaps much surprise many persons by stating that a horse 
improperly bitted will sometimes set him kicking ; they may say, ' What on 
earth has his mouth to do with his heels? ' A great deal, with some horses. 
They say the devil is good tempered when he is well pleased ; so am I, 
and so is a horse ; and while he is, he goes pleasantly and quietly. Now 
put a too severe bit in his mouth, and, what is ten times worse, put the 
reins into rude hands, his mouth gets punished ; this naturally irritates, and 
puts him out of temper. Then let any little thing occur that at another 
time he would not have cared for, in his present temper he sets to milling 
away at once ; yet to take the other side of the question, I am in general 
an advocate for commanding bits, of course more or less so according to 
each horse's mouth ; but I mean commanding so far as relates to that horse ; 
but then horses thus bitted must be given up to a coachman, not a Yahoo 
with fists like a sledge-hammer. In single harness, particularly in break- 
ing or driving a horse disposed to kick, he should have a very severe bit 
in his mouth, by means of which, if he begins his nonsense, you may bring 
him up at once on his haunches or nearly on his tail. This is no pleasing 
operation for him ; it is meant as punishment, and a few times repeated 
will make him fear to begin again. But this must be judiciously done, and 
when other and gentler measures fail ; a horse thus severely bitted should 
be driven by a man with hands as light as a feather, though, should occa- 
sion require it, as strong as those of a giant. A severe bit with such a 
horse also prevents that pleasing accompaniment to kicking, namely, run- 
ning away, a circumstance of very common occurrence." — Charles Britid- 
ley, " Stable Talk and Table Talk;' /. 86. 

" A celebrated Mr. Maxse, celebrated some fifteen years ago for a fine- 
ness of hand that enabled him to cross Leicestershire with fewer falls than 
any other sportsman of fifteen stone who rode equally straight, used to dis- 
play much comical impatience with the insensibility of his servants to this 
useful quality. He was once seen explaining to his coachman, with a silk 



BITTING. 483 

handkerchief passed around a post. ' Pull at it,' says the master. ' Does it 
pull at you now?' 'Yes, sir,' answered the servant, grinning. 'Slack it 
off then. Does it pull at you now? ' ' No, sir.' ' Well then, you double- 
distilled fool, can't you see that your horses are like that post. If you don't 
pull at them, they won't pull at you' " — Captain M. E. Harworth, " Road 
Scrappings," p. ii. 

There is a saying that if a horse cannot be held with a 
snaffle he cannot be held with any form of bit. The truth 
of this statement depends in what manner it is interpreted. 
If an expert driver cannot, under favorable conditions, hold 
a horse with this simple form of bit, it is very doubtful if 
any severe forms would render the horse safe for general use; 
but on the other hand it is well known that certain forms of 
severe bits not only make a horse travel more collectedly, 
but render him light mouthed, providing the rider or driver 
is a good horseman and has light hands. The majority of 
coachmen employ severe types of bits because the degree of 
severity of the bit is generally supposed to indicate the 
extent of the servant's proficiency, and the contortions of the 
irritated or tortured animal are mistaken for natural showy 
action and high spirits. Another explanation for the aver- 
age servant's predilection for such bits may be found in the 
fact that he has so deadened the horse's mouth by heavy 
handling that a sharp bit is required in order to hold 
the horse. For the types of bits recommended by the writer 
see Chapter X. 

" It is a somewhat noteworthy fact that when a horse owner drives him- 
self in a buggy or a phaeton a severe bit is seldom seen ; but directly we 
turn to landaus and broughams, and to all vehicles driven by coachmen in 
livery, we find high ports and horses driven very frequently on the bottom 
bar." — London Live Stock Journal. 



484 ADJUSTING THE BIT AND THE CURB-CHAIN. 
ADJUSTING THE BIT. 

The position of the bit in the horse's mouth will be regu- 
lated by the reader's preference for one of two arguments 
advanced by authorities. The first, that there is one and 
only one position at which point the bit can be made to act 
most effectively ; the other theory is that the bit should be 
shifted from time to time within a limited range, with the 
object of retaining the natural sensitiveness of the mouth. 
The writer's preference is in favor of the former principle, 
as the shifting of the angle of the horse's head changes the 
point of bearing sufBciently to keep the mouth " alive," and 
having instructed the servants as to the exact position the 
bit shall occup3% any failure to comply with such orders is 
at once apparent. 

A bit with a solid mouth-piece or a jointed snaiifle when 
used alone should be adjusted so that the canons of the bit 
fall within half or three-quarters of an inch of the tushes of 
a gelding and within an inch or an inch and a quarter above 
the end nippers of a mare. When a bridoon is used it 
should be placed so that it touches the corners of the lips, 
but does not wrinkle them. 

"The mouth-piece of a cuib, as directed by Colonel Greenwood in his 
excellent book, ' Hints on Horsemanship,' should be placed so that it may 
be just clear of the tushes of the horse, or about one inch above the corner 
nippers of a mare ; in fact as low as possible without involving the danger 
of the curb-chain slipping over the animal's chin." — Captain Hayes, 
^^ Riding,'' p. 2jg. 

THE CURB-CHAIN. 

The end link of the chain on the off side should be 
fastened to the hook, the other end of the chain should not 
be fastened until after the bit has been placed in the horse's 



THE BEARING-REIN. 485 

mouth ; when the chain should be twisted over the forefin- 
ger to the right until all the links lie flat. In hooking up 
the end, the chain should be brought back of the canon of 
the curb bit, but in front of the bridoon bit. The end link 
of the loose end should be fastened first, and then the chain 
shortened by hooking another link over the first one. The 
links should be taken up equally on both sides. When the 
chain is in place the links should lie perfectly flat, the pen- 
dent link in the centre of chains for riding bits should be 
on the side toward the chin. If the chain is fastened so 
that two fingers can be placed between the chain and the 
jaw, the chain will be found tight enough for the average 
horse. The larger and closer the links the less severe will 
be the action of the chain. The severity of curb-chains may 
be further lessened by means of a leather covering, but 
leather straps should never be substituted, as no dependence 
can be placed on their strength, and they are consequently 
very dangerous. A curb-chain may be made more severe 
by untwisting six or more of the links. 

THE BEARING-REIN. 

In the use of the bearing-rein it must be understood that 
the horse's action is largely determined by the angle at 
which his head is carried. If the bearing-rein holds the 
horse's head too high, the action will be higher and shorter 
reaching than if carried naturally ; while on the other hand 
if the animal is allowed to throw his head down and out, 
greater weight is brought on the fore legs, with the result 
that the action is low and uncollected. The cruelty of 
drawing a horse's head unnaturally high, or higher than the 
conformation of the neck comfortably allows, has resulted in 



486 PREPARATIONS FOR TURNING OUT A VEHICLE. 

a misconception of the true use of this part of the harness, 
and has caused a general condemnation of the bearing-rein. 
In the first place, a bearing-rein should never be employed 
to hold a horse's head higher than he naturally carries 
it; second, the horse should not be abruptly deprived of the 
opportunities of relaxing the muscles, such as are afforded 
by dropping the head from time to time. The angle at 
which the horse naturally carries his head should be noted, 
and when the bearing-rein is put on it should be adjusted 
so that there will be some slack in the rein. If one of a 
pair carries his head lower than his mate, the former should 
not have his head drawn up by the bearing-rein to a corre- 
sponding height. For the first week or ten days' train- 
ing the bearing-rein should not be kept hooked up for 
more than ten or fifteen minutes during the early part of 
the time, but later it may be kept on from fifteen minutes 
to half an hour. 

PREPARATIONS FOR TURNING OUT A VEHICLE. 

As a preface to the following remarks it may not be out 
of place to state that when a stable servant receives an order 
for a carriage at a certain hour he should carefully note the 
time, the carriage desired, whether for two men on the box, 
and the address if the owner is to be called for at some 
house other than his own. Should a servant be liable to 
forget or become confused, he should fortify himself against 
making an error by jotting the order down on a slate or a 
pad. The pleasure of having a private turn-out is largely 
due to the ability the owner has of commanding it when and 
how it pleases his fancy ; and if the stable servant, through 
constant mistakes, converts a luxury into a source of annoy- 



PREPARATIONS FOR TURNING OUT A VEHICLE. 487 

ance, he should have sense enough to realize that he en- 
dangers his own position. 

First run the carriage or cart into place. If a pole is to 
be used it should be put in and secured with the pole pin. 
The vehicle should then be thoroughly dusted, and the whip, 
robes and the servant's gloves put in place. The shutters 
of closed carriages should be drawn up until the vehicle 
arrives at the owner's house, when they are let down and the 
glass windows drawn up. The livery, if one is to be worn, 
should be taken out and carefully brushed. In threatening 
weather the waterproof coats, hat coverings and woollen 
gloves should be placed in the boot under the box seat 
and the carriage umbrella secured by the straps which hold 
the apron against the dasher. 

When an order is given for a pair and brougham, victoria 
or mail phaeton, with the coachman in livery, the stable ser- 
vant, if he has to work single handed, should allow an hour. 
A brougham, victoria, with one horse, or a tandem or a coun- 
try trap with a pair should be turned out under similar cir- 
cumstances in three-quarters of an hour. For a single trap, 
such as a buggy, two wheeler or country vehicle with the 
servant in whipcord livery, half an hour is ample time. To 
saddle a horse for either lady or gentleman from fifteen to 
twenty minutes is sufficient. When there are two or more 
men in the stable the time required to turn out a carriage will 
be lessened by about fifteen minutes. This estimate is based 
on the work of men who have had the various parts of an 
equipage in a condition to be used when starting to turn out 
a trap, and who have not had to groom a horse, clean the 
harness or oil the wheels as a part of the work, which such 
matters should not be under any ordinary circumstances. 



488 SADDLING. 

PREPARING A HORSE FOR THE SADDLE OR HARNESS. 

The horses should be backed out of the stall with the 
blanket and head-collar on and fastened to a pair of pillar- 
reins. First, the feet should be picked out, the straws, etc., 
dropped into a basket and not on the floor; second, the eyes, 
nostrils, mouth and parts under the tail should be washed 
out with a clean sponge, and afterwards dried with a rubber ; 
third, the blanket should now be removed and folded over 
the blanket pole, and the horse's coat laid smooth with a 
rubber or chamois. If the owner approves of varnishing the 
hoofs, this part of the work should now be done in order to 
give the coating time to set. 

SADDLING. 

The saddle should be prepared in the harness 
or cleaning room by being dusted, the girths 
buckled on the off side. i. e., the right-hand side, 
and the girths either laid over the seat of the 
saddle or kept from dangling by being folded be- 
tween the flap and the sweat-flap. The stirrup 
leathers should be run through the stirrups and attached to 
the spring-bars — the latter should always be left open — 
and the stirrups drawn up out of the way on the under sec- 
tion of the stirrup leather. A man's saddle should be 
carried on the right forearm with the pommel toward the 
hand. A woman's saddle may be carried in the same man- 
ner or on the servant's head. A horse should never be 
saddled in the stall or placed in one with a saddle on, as 
the chances are that the servant will turn the horse in the 
narrow space, and in so doing spread the tree of the saddle. 
The saddle should be laid on the horse's back so that the 




SADDLING. 489 

pommel covers the point of the withers and then drawn back 
so as to leave the point of the withers exposed and clear of 
the movement of the shoulder blade. By this means the 
correct position of the saddle may be had without any dan- 
ger of disturbing the hair beneath the saddle. If a numnah 
or saddle cloth is used, the servant should draw the front 
and back ends well up against the pommel and cantle with 
the forefingers. The broad under girth should be drawn 
up moderately tight and buckled. Care must be taken not 
to catch any folds of the skin ; this may easily be avoided 
by extending the forefingers under each side of the girth 
and running them down first on the near and then on the 
off side. If a breast-plate or running martingale is to be 
used it should be put on before the saddle and the broad 
under girth placed through the loop. The narrow girth 
should pass over and not through the loop. 

The saddle being adjusted, the head-collar should be 
taken off and hung on a peg. The curb-chain and throat- 
latch of the bridle loosened and the reins looped over the 
left forearm, the bridle is then raised by the right hand 
carrying the crown-piece up in front of the horse's face 
until the bit comes in a position to be inserted in the 
horse's mouth with the left hand The horse may be 
steadied by holding his forelock with the right hand. The 
crown-piece is now carried over the horse's ears and dropped 
into place behind them. The throat-latch should not be 
tightly fastened, merely short enough to prevent it from 
slipping over the horse's jaw. The left-hand figure on 
p. 241 shows the throat latch properly adjusted. When a 
running martingale is used, stops should never be omitted. 

If the horse is not used immediately a head-collar should 



490 HARNESSING. 

be slipped over the bridle and the horse fastened by a 
pair of pillar-reins, and a blanket or sheet put on inside out. 
When the horse is to be mounted the under girth should be 
taken up a hole or two and the narrow outer girth buckled 
up. The girths should not be drawn so tight as to cause 
discomfort to the horse, nor left so loose as to allow any 
possibility of the saddle shifting. Owing to the one-sided 
pressure exerted on a lady's saddle, the girths must be 
buckled a hole or two tighter than those for a man's saddle. 
The flap girth of a lady's saddle should not, however, be 
drawn very tight. When the horse is to be mounted the 
servant should draw the stirrups down into place, at the 
same time giving the leathers a twist so that the stirrup will 
hang nearly at right angles with the body of the horse. 
The ends of the leathers look neater when turned under 
and drawn parallel with and close to the skirt of the saddle. 
When a person is mounting the groom should hold the 
horse by the bridoon reins alone with the right hand near 
the rings of the bit, and with the left hand bear his full weight 
on the off side stirrup leather so as to counteract the down- 
ward pull exerted on the near side by the rider in mounting. 
When the rider has taken his place in the saddle the servant 
should continue his hold of the reins and assist the rider to 
catch the stirrups ; having done this, he should stand by 
until the rider indicates that he is ready to start. 

HARNESSING. 

In harnessing the old saying should be borne in mind 
that " a team well harnessed and put together is half driven." 
The horse having been made ready as described on p. 488, 
the harness should be dusted and the metal parts rubbed 



HARNESSING— THE SADDLE. 



491 



over with a black chamois. In taking the harness from the 
cleaning room to the stall part the servant should first take 
the saddle, second the collar without the hames, and the 
bridle, and then the hames and reins. If all the tackle is 
taken at once it is more than a man can conveniently han- 
dle, and the result is that parts are now and then dropped 
or scratched. By taking the parts in the order named the 




FIG. 226. 



harness can be placed directly on the horse, thus saving the 
wear and tear of being flung on a hook or peg and pulled 
off a moment or two later. Any holes that may be required 
in adjusting the harness may be made with a leather punch. 
(See Fig. 226.) 



THE SADDLE. 

The saddle should be placed on the h 
the loins to give the crupper-strap enough s 
crupper may be carried over the end of 
Care must be taken, in drawing the crupper 
not to catch any hairs between the crupper 
quarters. The saddle should be lifted clear 
carried forward into place. The crupper 



orse's back near 
lack so that the 
the horse's tail, 
under the dock, 
and the horse's 
of the back and 
-strap should be 



492 HARNESSING— THE COLLAR AND BRIDLE. 

adjusted so that it will hold the crupper firmly under the 
dock, and prevent the buckle from flapping against the horse's 
back. The pad-girth should be drawn tight when the vehicle 
used is a two-wheeler, or when no breeching is used with a 
light four-wheeled carriage. The loop of the breast-plate 
or standing martingale should be held by the pad-girth, 
and not by the tug-strap girth nor trace-girth. In pair- 
horse harness the traces should be detached from the 
saddle before the latter is put on. In single harness the 
breeching-seat should not be placed so low that the horse 
can sit on it, nor so high as to endanger its slipping up over 
the quarters. 

THE COLLAR. 

The servant should remove the head-collar, and hang it 
up, and, with the bridle looped over the left arm, take the 
collar in both hands, turn it upside down and place it care- 
fully over the horse's head. If it catches against the eye 
bones don't push it over; take it off and stretch it by placing 
the left knee against the inside and draw up with the right 
hand on the opposite side. Leave the collar turned upside 
down on the horse's neck until the hames are fastened in 
place. Each horse should have his own collar and none 
other used. 

THE BRIDLE. 

The curb-chain and throat-latch should first be loosened 
and then the bridle raised by the crown-piece with the right 
hand until the bit is brought in a position to be inserted in 
the horse's mouth with the left hand. The horse may be 
steadied by holding him by the forelock with the right hand. 
The crown-piece is now carried over the horse's ears and 



HARNESSING — THE NAMES AND REINS. 493 

dropped into place behind them, and the throat-latch loosely 
fastened. The winkers should be adjusted by the upper 
buckles of the cheek-pieces so that the centre of the winker 
is in line with the horse's eye. The bit should be placed 
as described on p. 484. Care must be taken to have all 
the point-straps on both sides in corresponding holes. 

THE HAMES. 

The hames should be brought from the cleaning room 
with the hame-strap unbuckled and placed on the collar with 
the hame-chain or kidney-link on top. The hame-strap 
should then be drawn firmly against the collar so that the 
hames cannot be pulled away from the groove. The point 
of the hame-strap in pair-horse harness should be on the 
nigh side of the off horse and on the off side of the nigh 
horse, ?'. e., so that the points of the straps will be toward the 
pole. The traces should be thrown diagonally over the 
horse's back and in pair-horse harness the outside trace 
of each horse should be thrown over the inside one. 

THE REINS. 

The billets of the reins should now be run through the 
pad and hame terrets and fastened to the bit. The buckle 
of the hand-piece should be on the near rein, and the end of 
this rein should be thrown over the horse's back to the off 
side, where it is buckled to the other rein, and the two 
doubled and run through the off pad-terret. In pair-horse 
harness the billet of the coupling-rein should be fastened 
to the under side of the nose-band with the buckle up and 
the point of the billet fastened into the buckle, and not 
passed through the keeper. The near rein with the buckle 



494 BLANKETING AND PUTTING ON LIVERY. 

on the hand-piece is thrown over the off horse's back and 
fastened as described above. A coupling-ring should not 
be used except with a neck-yoke. The bearing or check 
rein ought not to be drawn up until the horse is taken from 
the stall part. 

BLANKETING. 

If the carriage has to be drawn into place, or the servant 
to put on his livery, a blanket or sheet, according to the 
temperature, should be thrown inside out over the horse. 

PUTTING ON LIVERY. 

Poorly fashioned articles of clothing can never be made 
to look well ; but when put on by a clever coachman or groom, 
they will appear better than those of finer make " thrown 
on " by a careless or ignorant servant. If liveries are slouch- 
ily put on it makes but little difference whether they be of 
eood cut or not, the smart effect is lost. Therefore a ser- 
vant should learn the art of getting the most out of his 
clothes; to do which he must keep them in good condition 
and know when they are correctly put on. A servant when 
dressing should keep the following points in mind : 

The seam on the outer sides of the breeches should be 
drawn toward the front of the leg near the knee so that the 
top button fits in theJiollow just under the knee cap and 
beside the shin bone. The buttons should extend in a per- 
fectly straight line along the outside of the shin bone. The 
slovenly effect of a long breeches knee should be avoided 
by drawing the breeches up tightly under the knee so that 
the top button fits into the hollow as described above. The 
boots should be highly polished and drawn up so that the 



'^PUTTING TO'' A SINGLE HORSE. 495 

four top buttons of the breeches show above the boot tops. 
The scarf should be immaculate and so fastened in the front 
and back that it cannot ride up over the collar nor become 
twisted to one side. The coat and waistcoat should be 
carefully brushed and in turn drawn snugly into place. The 
former should not be put on until the last moment. The 
hat should be brushed and put on perfectly straight, not 
with a tilt to the side or back. The servant should never 
be allowed to wear ordinary trousers in place of the livery 
ones. When the servant wears leggings he should fasten the 
loop (which is sewed under the two top buttons) to the third 
or fourth button of the breeches. The legging, being fastened 
on the outer side of the shin bone, should then be passed 
around back of the leg from the outside, and after fastening 
the rear loop to a button at the back of the calf, the legging 
should be carried around to the front and buttoned. The 
angle formed by the rounded corners at the bottom should 
fall over the instep. A common mistake is in putting the left 
legging on the right leg and vice versa, so that the flap near 
the buttons points forward instead of backward. 

" PUTTING TO " A SINGLE HORSE. 

In single harness the shaft ends should be run through 
the tugs first and then the traces fastened. The length of 
the traces should be adjusted so that the horse is as near 
the carriage as possible without any chance of hitting any 
part of it with the quarters, hocks or feet. The tug-girth 
for four-wheeled vehicles should be fastened tight enough to 
hold the shafts firmly in place, but not so as to draw them 
together. For two-wheelers the tug-girth should be moder- 
ately loose in order to give the shafts free play ; if the girth 



496 



^^ PUTTING TO'' A SINGLE HORSE. 



is buckled so as to fall a couple of inches under the pad- 
girth sufficient play will be given. The breeching should be 
fastened so that it can be drawn three or four inches back 
from the quarters when the traces are taut. There are sev- 
eral ways of fastening or " wrapping " the breeching-straps. 
The method preferred by the writer is as follows : Carry 
the point of the strap under the trace and shaft, a few inches 
in front of the leather loop on the shaft, wrap the strap 
around the shaft, turning the point toward the shaft end 




FIG. 227. 



until sufficient slack has been taken up, then carry the point 
back and through the loop on the shaft from the outside and 
thence under the trace to the buckle of the breeching-strap. 
When the kicking-strap is merely used for ornamental 
purposes it is placed between the flat portion of the crupper 
and the crupper-strap under the two end keepers ; but to be 
effective in preventing a horse from kicking, the strap should 
be placed over the lower part of the rump near the dock 



''PUTTING TO'' A PAIR. 497 

and the loops fastened to the shafts so that the ends of the 
kicking-strap are at right angles with the ground. In fast- 
ening the strap sufficient play should be allowed to prevent 
any risk of impeding the movement of the horse when in 
action. 

" PUTTING TO " A PAIR. 

In " putting to " a pair the taller horse should be placed 
on the near side, and the chance of the horses running back 
against the splinter-bars and kicking guarded against by 
first temporarily fastening the pole-pieces or chains some- 
what longer than they are to be when finally poled up, then 




FIG. 228. 



attach the outside traces, after which the inside traces should 
be fastened and the horses poled up. The traces should be 
adjusted so as to bring the horses as near the carriage as is 
practical, and if there is any dissimilarity in the length of 
the horses the traces of the shorter one should be let out. 
The collars of the horses should be parallel with each other, 
no matter what the difference in the length of the horses 
may be. Care should be taken to have the holes in the 
trace ends the same distance apart, each trace of a pair should 
be of exactly the same length. In poling up the length of 



498 '^ PUTTING TO'' A PAIR. 

the pole-pieces or chains should correspond, and both should 
be somewhat slack when the traces are taut, so that the 
collar fits snugly against the shoulders. 

The majority of stable servants fasten the pole-pieces or 
chains too tight or too loose, and twist the former and 
leave a few links of the latter dangling. The kidney-link 
ring should be held at right angles with the kidney-link, 
and the point of the pole-piece brought through the ring 
from the inside so that the buckle lies parallel with the eye 
of the pole top or crab. (See Fig. 228.) In fastening pole- 
chains one end of the chain should be attached by the snap 
hook to the ring of the pole-top snap outward ; and the other 
end carried through the kidney-link ring from the inside, 
and if not long enough to allow the snap hook to extend to 
the pole-top ring, the hook may be caught in one of the 
links, or if too long the end of the chain should be run 
through the pole-top ring from the outside, and the hook 
fastened into one of the links. The dropping of one or 
more links so that they rattle about when the horses are in 
motion is indicative of ignorance or vulgarity, or of both. 
When a neck-yoke is used on a light country trap the kid- 
ney-link ring should be omitted and the point of the neck- 
yoke strap, after being run through the metal loop on the 
neck-yoke toward the collar, carried around the kidney-link 
from the under side, so that when the point is fastened in 
the buckle the latter lies parallel with the ground. 

In single harness the reins should be left in the position 
described under " harnessing." In pair-horse harness the 
coupling-reins should be unbuckled from the nose-band and 
the rein of the near horse crossed over and fastened into 
the bit of the off horse and znce versa. When a coupling- 



TANDEM. 499 

ring is used it should be fastened to one of the billets of the 
coupling reins when the horses are being harnessed and later 
slipped over the rein to which it is attached, and the billet 
of the other coupling-rein run through it. When one horse 
of a pair carries his head higher than his mate or is in the 
habit of throwing his head up and down, the coupling-rein 
which is attached to his bit should be placed over the other 
coupling-rein. 

If buxton or gig bits are used the bearing-rein should 
be drawn up and fastened as soon as the horses are put to. 
Unless this precaution is taken there is a possibility of the 
horse catching the bar at the bottom of the bit over the 
pole top, in the event of which there is every likelihood that 
a " vet " carriage builder and harness maker will have to be 
called in to repair the damage. If an interfering boot is to 
be used it should be strapped in place as soon as the horse 
is put to. If the horses are to remain any length of time 
before being used, they should either be secured by tie reins 
or a servant should stand at their heads. 

TANDEM. 

In putting to a tandem the leader's traces should be 
about nine feet six inches long, measured from the point at 
the end of the hame-tug to the snap hook. If the traces 
are much longer they are apt to fall under the horse's hind 
legs, and if much shorter the fore legs of the wheel horse 
are apt to become crossed, owing to the pressure of one or 
the other of the leader's traces when making a sharp turn. 
White's lead bars are recommended to beginners, as by the 
use of these bars shorter lead traces may be used, which ren- 
ders the possibility of the leader getting a leg over the traces 



500 FOUR-IN-HAND. 

less likely. The leader's reins should be carried through 
the terrets on the wheeler's bridle and the top section 
of the wheeler's pad-terrets. Owing to the danger of 
the lead-reins catching, in case the leader breaks away, the 
buckle on the hand-piece of the lead-reins should be 
omitted, and the ends held together by means of one or 
more keepers on one rein and the end of the other passed 
through them. The off wheel rein should be held between 
the second and third fingers, the near wheel-rein between the 
third and fore finger; the off lead-rein on top of the near 
wheel-rein, and the near lead-rein over the forefinorer. If 
the driver is on the box when the leader is put in the ser- 
vant should run the leader's reins through the terrets and 
hand them to the driver, before fastening the traces, and 
when taking the leader out under similar conditions, the 
traces should be unhooked before the driver allows the lead- 
reins to be withdrawn. When a servant is left in charge of 
a tandem he should stand on the off side at the head of the 
wheeler and hold the lead-reins at this point. 

FOUR-IN-ITAND. 

The putting to of the wheelers is similar to pair-horse 
work, except that if the inner roller bolt is not made a trifle 
larger than the outer one, the inside traces should be made 
half a hole shorter than the outer ones. 

" The wheelers should be poled up so that they do not come far enough 
back to touch the footboard when stopping the coach or holding it back 
going down hill, but to place them more than a foot beyond entails waste 
of power. The leaders, when standing up to their collars, should be so far 
in front of their bars that their tails, if long enough, should just clear them 
when in action." — Major Dixon, " Driving,'' Badminton Library, p. iiy. 



MOUNTING, POSITION ON THE BOX, ETC. 501 

The inside and outside traces of the leaders should be of 
equal length and the ends of the inner traces lapped (one 
trace end passed under and over the other trace before being 
fastened to the lead-bar) or crossed (the trace of the off 
leader fastened to the lead-bars of the near horse and vice 
versa). When neither of these methods is employed it is cus- 
tomary to fasten the inner ends of the lead-bars together, 
for which purpose a strap should be used and not a chain, 
as the latter often prevents the bars from being readily sepa- 
rated in case of accident. The lead-reins should be so made 
that the buckles of the coupling-reins fall six or eight inches 
in front of the leaders' tails. If they come farther back there 
is great risk of their being caught in the terrets of the 
wheeler's bridle. The reins are held in the same order as 
for tandem. (See preceding page.) When servants are left 
in charge of a four the head servant should stand at the 
wheeler's head on the off side and the groom directly in front 
of the leaders. The same order of putting in or taking out 
the leaders of a four, when the driver is on the box, should 
be observed as is described under paragraph on " tandem." 

MOUNTING, POSITION ON THE BOX, ETC. 

The coachman, before mounting the box, should first 
stand on one side and then on the other of the horse or 
horses and carefully note whether every part of the harness 
is properly adjusted. The most important considerations 
are : 

1. The proper length of the traces. 

2. The proper length of the breeching. 

3. The proper length of the crupper-strap. 

4. The proper length of the saddle-girth. 

5. The proper length of the tug- girth. 



502 MOUNTING, POSITION ON THE BOX, ETC. 



6 

7 
8 

9 

lO 

II 

12 

i6 

17 



The proper length of the tugs. 

The proper length of the pole-pieces, pole-chains, neck yoke-straps. 

The proper length of the bearing-rein. 

The proper length of the breast-plate. 

The proper length of the standing martingale. 

The proper length of the coupling-reins. 

The proper position of the breeching-seat. 

The proper position of the saddle. 

The proper position of the collar. 

The proper position of the winkers. 

The proper position of the bit. 

The proper position of the billets of the reins in the bit. 



The coachman, having satisfied himself that nothing is 
amiss, should stand on the off side, take the reins in the left 
hand, the near rein over the forefinger and the off rein be- 
tween the second and third fingers. The whip should then 
be held, five or six inches from the end, against the palm 
of right hand by the thumb, second and little fingers. The 
servant should then step back until he is in line with the 
step to the box seat or fore hub, when the reins should be 
passed into the right hand and held in the same manner 
as before. The coachman is now free to use his left hand 
in grasping the rail of the box in mounting. Before taking 
his seat he should draw the skirts of his coat down close 
about the body so that there will be no wrinkles or bulging 
folds when he is seated. The legs, from the knees to the 
feet, should be almost vertical, or the feet advanced a trifle, 
the heels together and the knees from four to six inches 
apart. There is a theory that if the servant balances him- 
self on the outer rim of the box and draws his feet in so that 
only the toes of his feet touch, he will obtain the much de- 
sired licrhtness of hand. Whatever little he may gain in this 



POSITION ON THE BOX AND DRIVING. 503 

respect is more than offset by the fact that he is in the worst 
possible position to cope with any emergency. This ridicu- 
lous position and the habit some servants have of holding 
the reins in imitation of a counter jumper measuring off a 
yard of ribbon are more the product of fashion than of 
sense. 

The coachman's body and head should be erect, the 
shoulders square, and the elbows close to the sides. When 
the coachman has taken his seat he should loop the end 
of the hand-pieces at the buckle over the little finger of 
the left hand, with the buckle facing toward the horses ; 
the use of a string or leather loop is not considered " the 
proper thing " ; the reins are then transferred back to the 
left hand in the position described above. The left forearm 
should be held in a horizontal position, the wrist bent 
slightly inward near the body so that the fingers, from the 
knuckles to the first joint, are parallel with the body. The 
right arm should be held in a similar position; the right 
hand is held an inch or so away and slightly above the left 
one, and the thumb is bent downward so that the whip, when 
held at the top ferrule, will be at an angle of about thirty 
degrees. 

As soon as the coachman is ready to start he may indi- 
cate the fact by bringing his whip up to a perpendicular 
position, and nodding to the other servant that the doors 
are to be thrown open. In starting it is advisable to touch 
the horses lightly with the whip, as they are less likely to 
make unexpected starts by mistaking some noise for the 
customary click of the tongue. When applying the whip 
the servant should draw the lash or thong across the horse s 
quarters from the outside, or if necessary apply the lash so 



504 DRIVING —GEO OM'S D UTIES. 

that a foot or more hits the horse ; but the whip should 
never be snapped at the animal. It is very unworkmanlike 
to keep the horses up to their work by clicking or calling 
to them, especially in the city where the noises make it 
necessary to shout at horses. Another common error in 
driving is the jerking of the reins when it is desired to in- 
crease the speed. This custom is dangerous, as very often 
when there is need of abruptly stopping the horse he mis- 
takes the pressure on the reins to mean an increase in the 
speed. In drawing up at the house the servant should know 
on which side the owner desires to sit, and bring the car- 
riage around in such a position that if a gentleman assists 
the lady into the carriage he will not have to pass in front 
of her; and in stopping the servant should bring the car- 
riage around so that the gentleman may alight first. When 
the servant is about to turn to the right he should apprise 
the drivers following him by circling the whip lash on his 
right-hand side, and if turning to the left the same move- 
ment of the whip should be made on the left hand. If the 
speed is to be materially lessened or the horses stopped the 
whip lash should be circled over the coachman's head. 

A groom should take the same position as that described 
for the coachman, with the exception of his hands, which 
should be placed together, palm downward against the inner 
sides of the legs, the fingers of the left hand over those of 
the right hand, but the thumb of the left under the palm of 
the right hand. When the carriage arrives at the house the 
groom should notify the house servant that the carriage is 
waiting, and then taking the robe from the carriage, stand 
a little forward of the rear hub, with the robe folded over 
the left arm, the left knee slightly bent, the heels together, 



GROOM'S DUTIES. 505 

and the hands against the body on a Hne with the waist 
seams and about six inches apart. As soon as the person 
for whom the carriage is desired approaches, the groom 
should touch his hat and give his assistance in putting the 
robe in place. Upon receiving the orders for the coachman 
he should again touch his hat and take his position on the 
box seat. When calling the groom should take the owner's 

card to the house, and ask if Mrs. is " receiving " or is 

" at home." If the answer is in the afifirmative the groom 
should open the carriage door, and after the owner has left 
the carria2:e the robe should be taken out and folded over 
the left arm. If the horses are to be moved about while 
waitino- the oroom should close the windows if the carrias^e 
is a covered one. As soon as the owner appears the groom 
should signal to the coachman or call him by some understood 
whistle. The coachman, under ordinary conditions, should 
not be more than a hundred yards away, and the groom 
should always remain in front of the house or store. If the 
carriage is a closed one the groom should open and close the 
door. Upon returning home the groom should first ring 
the house bell and then stand ready to open the carriage 
door as soon as that of the house is opened. When a ser- 
vant accompanies a person in a two-wheeler he should take 
his place beside the driver and not behind, unless the seat 
beside the box is occupied. When the driver stops the ser- 
vant should jump out, go to the horse's head and stand, with 
his hands together, facing the horse. While the driver holds 
the reins the servant should never touch them unless directed 
to do so. 

The rudimentary instructions, methods and princples of 
driving, riding, hunting and polo are such comprehensive 



506 THE USE OF A CARRIAGE. 

subjects that even, if the space permitted their introduction, 
the writer's knowledge of these matters is too Hmited to 
enable him to present them in a thorough manner, and 
therefore the reader is referred to the following list of 
very instructive, interesting and reliable works upon these 
subjects : 

DRIVING. 

" Driving." — Badminton Library. 

" Driving as I Found It." — Frank Swales. 

" Driving Lessons." — Edwin Hewlett. 

" An Old Coachman's Chatter." — Edward Corbett. 

RIDING. 

"Riding." — Badminton Library, 

"Practical Horsemanship." — Charles Brindley, " Harry Hieover." 

" Riding." — M. H. Hayes. 

"The Horsewoman." — A. M. Hayes. 

" Hints to Horsewomen." — " Mrs. Harry Allbutt." 

HUNTING. 

" Hunting." — Badminton Library. 

" Riding on the Flat and Across Country." — M. H. Hayes. 
" Hunting Field." — Charles Brindley, " Harry Hieover." 
" Riding Recollections."— G. T. Whyte Melville. 

POLO. 

" Polo." — Badminton Library. 
"Modern Polo." — E. D. Miller. 
" Polo."— T. B. Drybrough. 

THE USE OF A CARRIAGE. 

Most of the advice heretofore given has called for dis- 
cretion on the part of the servant ; but in the use of a car- 
riage the owner or his family may unnecessarily increase the 
cost of maintaining the stable to a very considerable amount 
by the un7iecessary misuse of an equipage. All the errors to 



DISTANCE. 507 

which owners are prone cannot be pointed out, and all that 
can be done and is required is the use of common sense, 
thoughtfulness and occasionally a little self-sacrifice. Charles 
Brindley treats of this subject very forcibly in " The Pocket 
and the Stud," pp. 187, 188, as follows: 

" It is true we see the most splendid equipages out in the most inclem- 
ent weather ; but what are they doing ? Taking their lords or masters to or from 
the house, to dinner or a party, bringing their ladies from a villa to the 
town house, or to a dinner or party, also. The pace keeps them warm while 
going, they set down, and come home, and are dried. There are other 
horses and other horses, if wanted, to fetch their owners back ; but we do 
not see such owners starving their horses and servants, cheapening bonnets 
or silks at half a dozen different shops. Many hundreds who do, if they 
were going to ten different shops close together, would not, if they lived 
two hundred yards off, walk there, nor knowing they would be three hours 
order their carriage to call for them at a certain hour, for the world. What, 
lose letting the nine others see they kept a carriage. Oh, the delight of 
' Put those things in the carriage,' or, ' William,' beckoning their servant 
into the shop, ' put this in the pocket of the carriage.' Pleasant and salu- 
tary all this for clipped horses. 

"If they [a family] wanted to go to dinner at seven, won't the carriage 
be ordered to the door at five, to be seen there ? If wanted to go shopping, 
which it certainly would be two hundred and fifty days a year, won't it be 
ordered at two, to go at half past three? Won't it be 'to and again' as 
people describe our canine friend in a fair? Won't the tablets to write on 
and the 'tablets of memory' be taxed to write up all and every person they 
■ever spoke to, and to find out their residences to make a call in the car- 
riage ? Won't Thomas be taught to give a regular ' Londonderry ' at the 
door, only somewhat longer and louder? As the boys say, 'Won't he 
though?' " 

DISTANCE. 

The average horse should be able to cover between seven 
and ten miles per hour, and from fourteen to sixteen miles 
per day. The weight of the carriage, the nature of the roads 



508 UNSADDLING AND UNHARNESSING. 

and the manner in which the horse is driven will all bear 
much influence in determining the range of work the ani- 
mal may reasonably be expected to perform. 

" I think, then, we may fairly say fourteen to fifteen miles a day for a 
single horse or pair of horses, if continued five days in the week, is very 
fair work, and only sound and good constitutioned horses will go on doing it 
regularly, that is, supposing the pace to be eight or nine miles an hour." — 
The Earl of Onslow, ^^ Driving,'' Badminton Library, p. ^2. 

UNSADDLING. 

As soon as the horse returns to the stable the girths 
should be loosened, but the servant must not be allowed to 
remove the saddle for half an hour. The pressure of the 
saddle causes the blood to be forced from the veins beneath 
that part of the back which the saddle covers, and if the 
blood is permitted to suddenly return the veins are ruptured 
and the horse soon falls a victim to a sore back. Sometimes 
the servants lift the saddle from time to time or place straw 
under it. Neither of these practices should be permitted. 
When the weather is warm it will frequently be necessary 
to keep the saddle on much longer; in fact, the skin should 
be perfectly cool before removing the saddle. The reader 
will be surprised to discover how many instances of sore 
back attributed to badly fitting saddles are due to the failure 
of the servant to take the precaution of cooling the horse 
before unsaddlino^. A man's saddle should have the stir- 
rups drawn up near the spring bars as soon as the horse 
comes in. In removing the bridle the curb-chain should first 
be unfastened on the near side. 

UNHARNESSING. 

When a servant in livery returns to the stable with a 



UNHARNESSING. 509 

trap he should dismount in the reverse order of mounting, 
place the reins through the off pad-terret, fasten the horse 
by the tie reins, cover the animal with a blanket if the 
weather is cold, and then hang the whip in place. Before 
commencing to unharness he should remove his gloves, coat 
and hat, and protect the remainder of his livery with an 
apron. 

In single harness the tug-girth should first be unfastened, 
then the traces, and lastly the breeching-straps. The trace 
end should be carried up and passed between the trace 
buckles and keepers. In taking the horse out careless 
servants allow the shafts to drop on the ground from the 
tugs. Such carelessness soon results in the joints loosen- 
ing and plates rattling. The end of the curb-chain should 
be undone on the near side, the billets of the reins un- 
fastened and drawn back through the hame and pad terrets. 
The saddle should be removed, then the collar turned around 
on the horse's neck and the hames removed, but not the 
collar; the latter should be turned back into place and left 
against the shoulders until the horse is cool. If this pre- 
caution is taken, the horses will not be troubled with shoulder 
galls unless the collar misfits. The horse should now be 
led into the stall part and a cleaning bridle put on. The 
bit of the bridle should be immediately unfastened and 
placed in a pail of clean water until the servant is ready to 
clean it. This care given to the bit and other steels, such 
as chains, stirrups, etc., will prevent the metal from rusting. 

In unharnessing a pair the buckle of the hand-pieces of 
the reins should first be unfastened, then the coupling reins, 
and afterward the traces, the inside ones first and lastly 
the pole-pieces or pole-chains. The tug-straps should be 



510 CARE OF HORSES AFTER WORK. 

unbuckled so that the saddles may be removed separately 
from the traces. With the exception of the above differences, 
the unharnessing of a pair is similar to that described for a 
single horse. 

CARE OF HORSES AFTER WORK. 

Horses coming in from work or exercise should receive 
immediate attention. If they are comparatively cool, the 
grooming may be done at once, and the sooner the better, 
as the cleaning can be more thoroughly performed while the 
pores are open than when the skin is in its normal condi- 
tion. If the animal is sweating, or is wet with rain or mud, 
the importance of promptness is greatly increased. Horses 
not cared for under such conditions are likely to become 
"foundered," or stricken with some equally serious form of 
congestion. Supposing the horse to return cool, he should 
be srroomed with the same thorouHmess and in the same 
manner as is prescribed for the early morning cleaning. If 
the horse is covered with mud or dust the dandy brush 
should be used on the legs and belly, in the direction of the 
hair, not against it as it roughens the coat. 

During the hot summer months, if the horse returns, 
to the stable in a heated condition, the harness, with 
the exception of the collar or the riding saddle, should be 
immediately removed^ a wooden scraper used, the coat partly 
dried with a rubbing cloth, and a " cooler " put on^ the horse 
should then be walked in a place protected from the wind 
until he is cool, and not allowed to stand uncovered to dry 
by evaporation while the servant does up the harness or 
carriage. This latter method of drying a horse should only 
be allowed in very warm weather when the temperature is 



CARE OF HORSES AFTER WORK. 511 

over eighty degrees, and rubbing causes the horse to con- 
tinue sweating. Some grooms sponge a heated horse over 
and " hang him out to dry," a practice that should not be 
tolerated. 

In winter and when the weather is cool the horse should 
be rubbed dry with rubbing cloths instead of being walked. 
The rubbing should commence at the extremities, i. e., feet 
and ears, and the body be protected by a blanket. As soon 
as the horse is cool the grooming should be performed as 
has already been prescribed, and when completed the blan- 
kets put on, and the horse returned to his stall. Frequently 
in warm weather the horse breaks out, after being groomed 
and blanketed, the result of too hasty care. Should this 
occur it is necessary to put the " cooler " on and walk the 
horse again. Breaking out may often be prevented by not 
putting the surcingle on immediately after blanketing. 

In extremely cold weather, when a horse returns chilled 
and tired, the legs should be briskly rubbed and woollen 
bandages put on immediately, the circulation stimulated by 
a pulling, rubbing motion of the ears, and, if the prostration 
is extreme, a warm drink given of oatmeal water or a pint 
of ale. Under such conditions it is of the greatest impor- 
tance that the horse should have plenty of warm clothing and 
bedding, and that he should be protected from all draughts. 

The slight forms of injuries to which horses are subject 
as the result of badly fitting harness or carelessness are here 
considered rather than under Veterinary Notes, as they de- 
mand attention as soon as the horse has returned from work. 

Sore withers or shoulders may be due to accident or the 
skin being very sensitive, in which case washing the parts 
with a strong solution of salt water will do much to harden 



512 THE CARE OF CARRIAGES. 

the skin. Generally, however, the cause of any tender- 
ness is the result of ill-fitting collars. Under such con- 
ditions properly fitting collars should be substituted and the 
injured part carefully washed with warm water and castile 
soap and then equal parts of hydrozone and water applied. 
The same wash may be used for saddle galls, or a cloth 
saturated with either claret and salt, or with a solution 
of one ounce sugar of lead, two ounces laudanum and one 
quart of water may be laid over the inflamed part, A 
tonic made of alcohol and glycerine each four parts, and tinc- 
ture of canthan-ides one part, is effective in stimulating the 
growth of new hair on parts which have been injured. The 
mixture should be applied with friction every other day. 

THE CARE OF CARRIAGES. 

Carriages, if properly looked after, require considerable 
attention, and as the wear and tear is comparatively gradual, 
i. e., hardly noticeable from day to day, few servants realize 
to what extent a vehicle is injured by neglect. When a car- 
riage has been recently painted and varnished, as is the 
case with a new carriage or one that has just been done over, 
the varnish should be hardened by washing it a few times 
before use, and all vehicles should be w^ashed, not merely 
dusted, as soon as they return to the stable. New varnish 
does not become hard for three or four weeks, and therefore 
a newly painted vehicle requires especial care. Spots may 
sometimes be removed by rubbing on a little linseed oil 
with a bit of waste, or by allowing the vehicle to stand in 
the sun for half an hour early in the morning or late in the 
afternoon. Parts that are scratched or otherwise marred, 
such as the treads of straps, roller-bolts, etc., should be re- 



THE CARE OF CARRIAGES. 513 

touched with a Httle Japan varnish or paint of the original 
color. Any squeakiness of the springs may be remedied 
by applying a little castor oil near the tips of the leaves. Car- 
riages that are not in constant use should be taken out in 
a shady place and aired once a week or oftener when the 
atmosphere is dry. The curtains, hoods, aprons, etc., should 
be exposed to the air and thoroughly sponged or dusted. 

During the winter or in long periods of bad weather the 
upholstering should be protected from the ravages of moths, 
etc., by placing camphor, cayenne pepper or phenic acid in 
a saucer on the floor of the carriage, and the doors and win- 
dows closed or a cover drawn closely about the vehicle. 
Carriages with half heads are usually protected by a cover 
extending from the head to the apron, in addition to the 
ordinary covering. Even when there is a coach house 
separated by tight doors and windows, it is advisable to 
use linen coverings, as there is always more or less dust fly- 
ing about, and during the summer season the carriages 
should be protected as much as possible from becoming fly- 
specked. If the stable is damp the carriages should be 
taken out and aired occasionally. For dusting the body 
of the carriages a duster of vulture feathers with soft tips 
should be used, and discarded as soon as the ends become 
broken. The old duster may be used on the under car- 
riage and for rougher work. In winter the temperature of 
the coach house should not be allowed to fall below sixty 
degrees Fahrenheit, and on foggy or rainy days the room 
should be artificially heated. The head servant should be 
made to understand that in handling a carriage pole the 
greatest care must be observed, as a crack or similar defect 
is more than likely to result in a fatal accident. In descend- 



514 WASHING CARRIAGES. 

ing a hill the pole is the sole means of determining the 
direction or impetus of a pair-horse vehicle. When a joint 
or any of the metal work becomes loose, it is an economy 
to have the necessary repairs made without delay. One 
defect causes another, and consequently the neglect of 
the original trouble unnecessarily increases the coach build- 
ers' account. On the other hand, the servant should not 
be allowed to convert the carriao;es into a source of rev- 
enue by sending vehicles constantly to the repair shop. A 
coach builder by the name of Felton has made the following 
remarks on the subject : 

" It is by the coachman that gentlemen are usually biassed in what is 
to be done in the repairs or alterations of the carriage ; and who, from in- 
terested motives or capricious whims, often go to extravagant lengths 
abusing the implicit confidence their masters place in them, not only to the 
sacrifice of their property, but to the injury of the carriage, which often 
becomes a kind of property to the coachman or coach maker, and the pro- 
prietor a dupe to one or both of their artifices. Coach makers are too fre- 
quently made subservient to the coachman, owing to the influence they 
have with their employers, and are therefore obliged to countenance the im- 
propriety of their orders if they wish to preserve their customer." 

WASHING. 

If a carriage is not properly cleaned and is allowed to 
remain dirty and wet, the wood rots and warps, the paint 
peels off, and the lining becomes mouldy, the result is that 
more frequent trips to the carriage builders are necessary, 
and from the fact that the steel and iron work is weakened 
by rust the carriage soon becomes more of a death trap than 
a pleasure conveyance. The owner, by retaining only care- 
ful men and by frequent inspections of the work, can retard 
the ravages of destruction which otherwise move on with 



WASHING CARRIAGES. 515 

surprising rapidity. A few moments now and then spent in 
examining the carriage after it has been washed will cause 
the servant to exercise more care in the performance of his 
work than it is likely he would otherwise devote to it. The 
usual places neglected or improperly done are the under 
part of the body, the angles formed by springs, iron work 
and the spokes, the wetting of window pockets and those 
under the seats, and carelessness in drying the various parts. 
When washing carriages the servant should observe the 
following rules : 

1. Never allow dirt and mud to remain or harden on a 
carriage if it can be possibly avoided. 

2. Remove the whip, robes and all detachable cushions, 
carpets, wheel wrenches, etc., and undo the aprons, etc., 
before washing. 

3. If the carnage is a covered one, such as a brougham, 
brush out the inside thorous^hlv and close the windows and 
doors tight before washing. 

The carriage should not be washed in the sunshine nor 
on the ground. If there is no wash-stand the vehicle should 
be elevated on some planks or similar smooth substance. 

4. When " jacking up " the carriage, i. e., raising the 
wheels, be careful to allow only the leather or rubber-cov- 
ered pin or step of the wheel-jack to come in contact with the 
vehicle. 

5. Don't use hot or warm water on the varnished or 
painted surface; it softens the varnish and destroys the finish. 
Use cold water and patience. 

6. For rough vehicles a hose without a nozzle or one 
with a rose spray may be used. Never throw a hard stream 
of water on any part of the vehicle. 



516 WASHING CARRIAGES. 

7. When mud has hardened on the carriage, souse the 
vehicle thoroughly and allow it to stand for a few moments ; 
by so doing the mud will become softened and can be re- 
moved without scratching or tearing off the varnish. 

8. When cleaning the body of a carriage use a large, 
soft sponge, reserved for this purpose, and apply it first on 
the roof and upper parts of the sides ; don't rub, but squeeze 
the sponge so that the water will flow down the sides and 
soften and carry the dirt or mud off without injuring the 
surface. Rinse the sponge frequently in clean water. 

9. Be careful that the water does not get into the wells 
of the windows or on the upholstery. Use a damp sponge 
about the frames of doors and windows. 

10. Don't neglect the bottom of the carriage, the under 
sides of the lower half of springs, the corner around bolt 
heads or the spaces under the whiffle-tree, etc. 

1 1. Don't use a spoke brush ; it undoubtedly removes all 
the dirt, also the varnish and paint. The liberal use of 
water will accomplish the desired result without injury to 
the varnish. 

1 2. Don't use soap around the axle boxes. If the oil has 
been carelessly put on and works out, it should be removed 
with a rag moistened with turpentine. 

As the roof, body and under carriage are in turn washed 
they should be carefully dried before washing the part below. 

13. A soft chamois should be used in drying the car- 
riage, care being taken to remove all moisture at the joints 
of springs, the corners around bold heads, the jambs of 
doors and windows and other usually unobserved parts of 
the carriage. A separate sponge should be kept for the 
panels. 



CARE OF THE LEATHER. 517 

14. The leather dashers and aprons should be washed 
with warm, not hot, water and soap, rinsed off and occasion- 
ally gone over with a sponge dampened in linseed oil. 

15. Never, under any circumstances, put a carriage away 
unless thoroughly dried. If allowed to remain wet panels 
and joints warp, springs and rivets rust, and stains are left 
by the beads of water which in time evaporate. Absolutely 
no excuse can be given for such neglect. 

CARE OF THE LEATHER. 

The leather work comprises the tops, or heads as they 
are technically termed, the aprons ; these parts are usually 
made of enamelled leather. The dashboard, wings, etc., are 
in most instances made of patent leather. The heads should 
never be left folded down for any length of time, and it is 
better to avoid fully extending the iron framework ; if each 
section is about three-quarters open, there will be no chance 
of the folds adhering nor becoming bagged. From time to 
time the patent and enamelled leather parts should be 
washed with tepid, not hot, water and soap ; after being thor- 
oughly dried a little linseed oil on some cotton waste may 
be applied; the latter will remove spots and keep the life 
in the leather. A little patent leather cream used on the 
smaller pieces of leather will keep them fresher than the 
foregoing. Oil leather when new should only be washed 
in the ordinary way, but as it ages a little neat's-foot oil may 
be applied, and any surplus that is not absorbed should be 
removed. The leather breeching-strap loops and safety 
straps, which attach the pole or shaft to the axle, and the 
whifHe-tree loops should be " compoed " and polished. 



518 CARE OF METAL MOUNTS AND WINDOWS. 

CARE OF METAL MOUNTS. 

The plated metal parts are usually limited to the strip 
of moulding round the box seat, the door handles and 
lamps, and for the cleaning of the silver surfaces dry plate 
powder is all that is required, but for the brass parts a little 
plate powder moistened with kerosene is advised. The ser- 
vant should not allow the powder or paste to run over the 
sides and on to the painted or leather parts. All polishing 
liquids should be avoided, as the varnished surfaces are ruined 
by them, and it is impossible to confine the liquid exclusively 
to the metal parts. After the powder has been removed a 
black chamois should be used to bring out the full lustre of 
the metal. The carriage lamps should be removed from 
their supports, the parts around the oil or candle thor- 
oughly cleaned, and the lamp part replenished and made 
ready for immediate use: the candles or lamps may be 
required at a moment's notice. A thin paste of whiting and 
alcohol should be applied to the reflectors, and when the 
whiting has dried the powder should be removed and the 
reflectors polished with a black chamois or soft brush. 

WINDOWS. 

For cleaning windows a paste made of whiting and water 
should be made and applied to the glass with a sponge, and 
when the paste dries the windows should be polished with 
a chamois. When the glass is dirty or fly-specked warm 
water and castile soap or alcohol should first be used. 

OILING. 

The axle arms of all carriages with plain axles should be 
oiled after each time the carriage is used, and if any vehicle 



OILING AXLES. 519 

has been standing a few days or more the axle arms should 
be oiled before the carriage is taken out In establishments 
where the numer of servants is proportionate to the amount 
of work there is no excuse for a wheel becoming set, and 
an accident of this nature indicates that the work in general 
is being carelessly performed. Patent axles require such 
careful manipulation that it is safer and cheaper in the long 
run to have them looked after by a man from the coach 
builders ; and when circumstances prevent this being done, 
the owner should superintend the work for the first few 
times. A description of the two leading types of patent 
axles, the Collinge and Mail, is given on p. 67. 

For oiling the plain axle the servant should have a stand 
about thirty inches high, and with sides from ten to fourteen 
inches square ; the upper surface should be flat with a rim 
two or three inches high, and beneath this tray, hooks and 
shelves may be placed for the wrenches, cotton waste, oil 
can, etc. 

When the wheels are to be oiled a wheel-jack, with the 
pin and steps protected by leather, should be placed under 
the axle arm near the hub, or if the jack is of the double- 
arm pattern, under the centre of the axle bed. The cap and 
nut should be removed and placed on the top of the tray, 
the v/heel removed and stood in some convenient place, and 
the leather washers taken out. First, the axle arm should be 
carefully cleaned with some cotton waste, the oil groove 
scraped out and any oil that has become hardened removed 
by a rag saturated with turpentine. Second, the axle box 
in the hub should be similarly cleaned, and the leather 
washers rubbed off, smeared with tallow and replaced. In 
cleaning the axle arm and box great care should be taken to 



520 OILING AXLES. 

prevent any dust or dirt from lodging on these parts. Third, 
the axle arm should then be oiled ; for this purpose a can of 
castor oil, fitted with a cork to which is fastened a feather in 
the same manner as the brush of a mucilage pot, is best 
for this work. Just sufficient oil should be applied to cover 
the surface of the arm and the oil groove. If more is used 
the oil oozes out on the hub, if less there is danger of the 
wheel becoming set. Fourth, in replacing the wheel care 
should be taken to prevent the parts from bumping to- 
gether, and also in starting the nut and cap true, otherwise 
the threads get crossed and when thus cut the nut is ren- 
dered insecure. When tightening up the nut the latter 
should be taken up so that the wheel turns hard and then 
slightly reversed until the wheel runs freely, but without any 
forward or backward play. From time to time it will be 
necessary to replace the leather washers with new ones, and 
in putting on the new leather it should fit snugly, be free 
from rough edges and thoroughly smeared with tallow. 

Each wheel should be thus treated in turn, and as soon 
as the work is completed the wrench or wrenches should be 
wiped clean, wrapped in a cloth and placed in the wrench 
pocket of the carriage. As soon as the oiling is completed 
the oil can, spare wrenches, washers, rags, etc., should be 
put in their respective places in the oiling stand, and the 
latter set out of the way. Occasionally it will be necessary 
to lubricate the wheel plate or fifth wheel upon which the 
axle bed of the fore wheels turns. The perch bolt should be 
removed and the top carriage raised sufficiently to enable the 
servant to smear a little soap, grease or graphite on the plate. 
The writer prefers the use of graphite, as it is more lasting 
and does not overrun the metal part as grease is apt to do. 



THE CARE OF STEELS. 



521 



THE CARE OF STEELS. 

All steel work, such as pole-tops, pole-chains, 
bits, curb-chains, stirrups, etc., should be kept 
free from rust and brightly burnished. The 
method of preserving steels in this condition is 
as follows : Scour the metal with damp silver 
sand, cleaning joints and corners with an old strip 
of chamois or small, sharp pointed piece of wood. 
After all rust, dirt, etc., have been removed rinse 
the metal in clean water and dry with a chamois, 
then polish the surface with a burnisher. (See 
Figs. 229, 230.) Bits and stirrups should be re- 
moved as soon as the horse returns to the stable, 
and placed in a pail of clean water until they can 
be cared for. Pole-chains may be brightened by 
placing them in a burnishing bag (see Fig. 231) or 
in a rubbing cloth, and taking an end of the bag 
or cloth in each hand, revolve it with a circular 
motion from the knees to the left side, over the 
head, and down on the other side. All burnished 
steel should be as bright, if not brighter, than 
polished silver. After the steels are burnished they 
may be protected from the action of dampness by 
rubbing them over with a cloth on which a little 
sweet oil has been placed. Very little oil should 
be used, not enough to leave a mark on the 
fingers. When steels are to be stored away 
for any length of time they may be protected 
from rust by placing them in a box of bran or powdered 
lime. 



FIG. 229. 



522 



THE CARE OF STEELS. 




"h *\ v^< >v>; K?"'* vo^iS^^** 




FIG. 230. 




'^'^^"^fw>f«™^'-' 



V « b p B ^^-*-* 



i UJ 



m 



m I - • 






b a ANS«\ ■ J»- ;^ 




FIG. 231. 



THE CARE OF HARNESS AND SADDLES. 523 

THE CARE OF HARNESS AND SADDLES. 

Harness, although not requiring the immediate care 
which the other parts of an equipage demand, should be 
properly cleaned and hung in place within a few hours after 
use. Leather that is kept in good condition should bend 
with much the same "feeling" as that produced by twisting 
soft copper wire. Under ordinary circumstances the leather 
will only require sponging off, and when dry the application 
of a soft, thick-bristled polishing brush to renew the lustre 
and from time to time washing of the harness with soda and 
water, and the use of a similar, but harder, bristled brush 
on which some Jamieson harness composition has been 
evenly and sparingly rubbed. When the harness is " com- 
poed " every strap should be undone and blackened. At no 
time should the composition be so thick on the harness as 
to form little streaks or lumps, and after the leather has been 
polished it should, upon being handled, leave little or no 
stain on the hand. When the harness is brought in muddy 
and wet it should be washed with soap and warm water, but 
not soaked. The water should be applied with a sponge, 
which must be constantly rinsed out in clean water. All 
surface moisture should then be removed with a chamois, 
and the harness hung up until thoroughly dry before being 
" compoed " and polished. Now and then both black and 
russet harness will have to be thoroughly cleaned with a 
brush and soda and water. When dry the leather may be 
softened with a little neat's-foot oil. It is advisable to apply 
a thin coating of beeswax, by the use of a brush similar to 
the one used for the " compo," and by passing the bristles 
lightly over a cake of beeswax and then going over the 
leather, the latter is rendered more impervious to the inclem- 



524 BROWN LEATHER AND SADDLES. 

ency of the weather and the lustre is longer retained. 
Liquid polish should never be used, as it eats the heart out 
of the leather. 

The patent leather parts must not be touched with a 
brush, but merely sponged over, dried with a chamois, a little 
meltonian cream applied, and then the surface polished with 
a soft cloth. 

BROWN LEATHER AND SADDLES. 

Brown or russet leather, of which the reins, head-collars, 
saddles, bridles, and frequently harness are made, is cleaned 
in the same manner as black harness, but instead of "compo " 
being used the leather should be gone over with some Pro- 
pet's saddle soap applied with a sponge. When dry the 
leather may be polished with a cloth, and the glazed surfaces 
given additional polish by the use of a little beeswax. The 
latter should not be put on with the same brush used for 
the black harness, as the brown leather would be stained. 
Lemon juice will lighten such parts of russet leather as be- 
come too dark, but when once applied the leather never regains 
its original shade. In addition to what has been said above, 
riding saddles should have all metal parts kept bright, and 
the cloth lining dried before the fire or in the sunshine. 
The rack used for this purpose is shown in Fig 232. 

Stirrup leathers and numnahs should be sponged off after 
use, and kept soft with Propet's saddle soap. If the panel 
of the saddle, i. e., the part which comes in contact with the 
horse's back, is of leather it should be Q;iven the same care 
as the numnah. As new saddles are very hard and uncom- 
fortable, both to rider and the horse, the leather should be 
softened by the application of a little mutton kidney fat, 



BROWN LEATHER AND SADDLES. 



525 



especially on the flaps, which should first be dampened with 
water. If the saddle has a leather panel the latter may be 
softened by rubbing a little cod-liver oil well into the grain 
of the leather. The unsightly new look of all brown leather 
may be lessened by sponging it over two or three times with 




FIG. 232. 



a weak solution of soda, exposing the leather to the sun and 
dressing it down several times with saddle soap before it is 
used. Saddle-cloths and brown girths should be carefully 
dried, brushed, and the leather parts kept soft w^ith saddle 
soap. White girths must be similarly treated and pipe clay 



526 METAL MOUNTS. 

rubbed on, both the girth and clay being dampened. The 
girths should then be dried in the sun or before the fire, and 
all pipe clay removed from the leather parts. When the 
girths become muddy it will be necessary to scrub them 
with soap and water, using a stiff-bristled water brush. As 
soon as the saddles have been cleaned they should be placed 
on the racks and protected from the dust with linen covers. 
From time to time the buckle of the stirrup-leathers should 
be cut off and the strap shortened an inch or two before 
the buckles are replaced. The points at which the spring 
bar and stirrup come in contact with the leather are thus 
relieved before they become dangerously weak. 

METAL MOUNTS. 

For all harness mounts, whether of silver, plate or brass, 
plate powder should be used in cleaning. In polishing brass 
furniture a woollen cloth should be dampened with kerosene 
and then dipped in the plate powder. All liquid polishes 
should be avoided, as they contain acids which are injurious 
to the leather. From time to time it will be necessary to 
wash the monograms, crests or similar mounts with warm 
water and a brush. When polishing or washing these metal 
parts a guard of leather or brass with an opening just large 
enough to expose the mount should be used. The powder 
should be applied with a damp cloth, and when dry the 
metal should be polished with a crest brush. There is no 
excuse for the presence of dirt or plate powder about the 
edges and in the interstices. If properly treated the leather 
parts, under the mounts, should be free from any foreign 
substance. Carelessness is also shown by the corners and 
backs of buckles being smeared with "compo." 



THE CARE OF LIVERY. 527 

WHIPS. 

Whip thongs, or lashes as they are commonly called, 
should be pipe-clayed each time they are used. The clay is 
first moistened, then rubbed on the thong, and the whip 
hung in the sun or a warm place to dry. The thong should 
not be so heavily pipe-clayed that after the horse has been 
struck a few times his coat is seen through a network of 
white lines. The thong should be gone over lightly and 
when dry shaken, not snapped, a few times to remove the 
loose particles of clay before the whip is replaced on the 
rack, the stick and leather parts sponged and the metal fer- 
rules polished. Occasionally the black threads holding the 
quill should be gone over with a little " compo," and the leather 
handle rubbed down with some saddle soap and polished. 
In order to preserve the thong it should be rubbed over with 
a bullock's heart, mutton tallow, saddle soap, or a composi- 
tion made of the following ingredients : beeswax one part, 
hog's lard two parts, boil down and mould in the form of a 
brick while cooling. The thong should be kept soft enough 
to permit the bending of a loop between the fingers without 
separating the plaits forming the lash. When new points 
are required for the end of the thong, leather ones should be 
preferably chosen, or if whipcord points are used the cord 
should be white and not of any color. 

THE CARE OF LIVERY. 

In the use of livery a careful servant can 
keep the various parts of his uniform in a pre- 
sentable state for double or triple the time in 
which a careless servant reduces his livery to 
a state of ruin. Immediately upon the ser- 




528 THE CARE OF LIVERY. 

vant's return to the stable he should remove his gloves, hat, 
coat and waistcoat. These parts of the livery should be care- 
fully hung up in the livery room until the servant has per- 
formed such work as requires more immediate attention. 
He should take the precaution to protect his breeches or 
trousers from becoming stained or besmeared by putting on 
a green baize apron, such as is worn by butlers. It is sur- 
prising the accidents that may happen to the livery, as a 
result of the thoughtlessness of a well meaning but impru- 
dent servant. At one time or another the hat is injured by 
the horse or the reins knocking it off, the coat torn on a 
hook, the breeches stained by grease, or the livery damaged 
by similar unexpected mishaps. 




FIG. 233. 

The dogskin gloves should be sponged off now and then 
with a little saddle soap, the hat kept brushed, and if a silk 
one it should be ironed occasionally ; the coat, waistcoat and 
trousers brushed and kept free from wrinkles. Any slight 
spots may be removed by the use of a cloth dampened with 
benzine. All metal buttons should be cleaned with plate 
powder, and afterwards rubbed over with a black chamois. 
In cleaning the buttons a guard (see Fig. 233) should be used 
to protect the cloth from the plate powder. This guard is 
made of a narrow and thin strip of wood or brass with a 
hole at one end large enough to admit the largest button ; 
from the lower side of the opening a slit extends to within 



THE CARE OF ROBES. 



529 



an inch or so of the other end of the guard. The boots 

should be highly polished and kept on boot trees. Any 

desired color for the boot tops 

may be obtained by the use of 

Propet's preparations, directions 

for their use accompany each 

box of compositon. Breeches 

of leather are kept white by the 

use of breeches paste and balls. 

From time to time the breeches 

may be washed in order to give 

them a uniform ground color. 

Directions for the use of breeches 

pastes, etc., are furnished with 

each box or jar. As soon as the 

breeches have been cleaned they 

should be placed on breeches 

trees until wanted for use. (See 

Fig. 234.) After mackintoshes 

are used they should be cleaned 

and dried, but not near the 

fire nor in the sun, as great 

heat destroys the waterproof tex- 



ture. 




FIG. 234. 



THE CARE OF ROBES. 

Carriage robes should be hung in the harness or livery 
room as soon as the carriage returns to the stable, and later 
brushed or dried if wet. The robes or aprons which have 
a metal disk should be provided with a guard similar to the 
one used in cleaninor the monocjrams on harness. The disk 



530 



THE CARE OF ROBES. 



must be kept bright and free from dirt or dust. The same 
plate powder and brushes used on the monograms may be 
used in cleaning. Any spots or stains can, under most cir- 
cumstances, be removed by rubbing them with a cloth damp- 
ened with benzine. 




CHAPTER XIX. 

VETERINARY NOTES. 

Drugs administered by the average stable servant do 
more harm than good ; the reason being that the nature of 
the malady and the effects of medicines are not understood. 
Without a knowledge of anatomy and therapeutics it is un- 
reasonable to suppose that a person can apply remedies with- 
out, in many cases, committing great and often fatal injury 
to the patient. It was the writer's intention to give as many 
suggestions as were at his command regarding the treat- 
ment of the horse in sickness, but for the following reasons 
only the simplest cases are considered: first, the various 
disorders to which the horse is heir and their remedies are 
too numerous to be comprehensively dealt with in one or 
two chapters ; second, the danger of such information being 
misapplied ; and, third, the writer's belief that it is inex- 
pedient for the average owner or his servant to assume the 
responsibility of making a diagnosis, and applying drugs in 
cases demanding the knowledge and skill of a practised vet- 
erinary surgeon. 

" Next in point of annoyance to a groom or coachman sending for a 
friend in the shape of a farrier to see and of course attend a sick or lame 
horse is the groom taking him in hand himself; I mean in this case, of 
course, an ordinary groom." 

" I do not mean that a man who knows what he is about need send his 
horse on every trifling ailment to any veterinary surgeon ; but it is the cheap- 
est plan for the man who does not." 

" But in sending to a professional, let me strongly recommend the most 

531 



532 TAKING THE TEMPERATURE. 

eminent that is to be had be appUed to ; if the case is a trivial one he will 
not make it serious by ignorant treatment, and if serious of course all his 
skill will be required." — Charles Brindley, ''The Pocket and the Stud,' ^ 
pp. i6i, 163. 

TAKING THE TEMPERATURE. 

The normal temperature varies between ninety-nine de- 
grees and one hundred degrees Fahrenheit. The tempera- 
ture is taken by means of a cHnical thermometer which 
should be inserted in the rectum, and retained there for five 
or more minutes. Sir Fitzwygram states that " the cheap 
articles usually sold as clinical thermometers are perfectly 
unreliable." The temperature should be taken at the same 
hour each day, and not immediately after the horse has been 
fed or watered. A sickness which causes the temperature 
to rise as high as one hundred and six degrees Fahrenheit 
usually terminates fatally. 

FINDING THE PULSE. 

Without much practice it is difficult for the amateur to 
determine much by the pulsation, other than to what extent 
it varies in the number of beats from the normal, which is 
from thirty-four to thirty-eight per minute. The middle and 
fore finger should be placed exactly transversely on the ar- 
tery at a point on thejnside of the jaw near the jowl. The 
horse should be quietly approached, and after taking the 
pulse, the number of pulsations should be compared with 
those of the same animal when in a normal condition. In 
sickness the pulse, besides varying in the number of pulsa- 
tions, between twenty and one hundred and twenty, may be 
affected in one or more of the following ways : 



STIMULANTS. 



533 



Weak and small. 

Quick, feeble and fluttering. 

Imperceptible. 

Wiry. 

Thready. 

Double beat. 



Intermittent. 
Irregularity in strength. 
Intermittent and irregular. 
Soft and full. 
Throbbing. 
Oppressed. 

Under some conditions the suddenness of an attack 
makes it necessary that no time should be lost in affording 
immediate relief to the patient, and it is therefore necessary 
to have constantly on hand such remedies as stimulants, colic 
draughts, antispasmodics, etc. 

STIMULANTS. 
" The internal stimulants used in Veterinary practice are chiefly those 
known as Diffusible stimulants. They cause rapid but only ternporary ex- 
citement of the system. They are very useful in rousing and equalizing the 
circulation, which from any cause may have become languid or even almost 
paralyzed. In shivering fits, for instance, diffusible stimulants may by this 
action ward off" attacks of inflammation. . . . Diffusible stimulants are of the 
highest value in nbrile affections, in diseases attended with great depression, 
during convalescence after serious illness, and in all cases of prostration, etc. 
"The ordinary dose consists of — 

Spirits of nitrous ether . . . . . i^ oz. 

Aromatic spirits of ammonia . . . . ^ oz. 

Water ........ i pint. 



or, 



Solution of acetate of ammonia 

Water 

or, 
Aromatic spirits of ammonia . 
Tincture of gentian 

Water 

" The carbonate of ammonia is a very valuable diffusible stimulant, and 
may be given either in the form of a bail or draught in doses of from i to 2 
drachms in a pint of water." 



3 to 4 ozs. 
I pint. 

I oz. 

I oz. 

I pint. 



534 SEDATIVES, ANTISPASMODICS AND COLIC. 

SEDATIVES. 

" Aconite is a prompt and effectual sedative in fibrile attacks and in 
acute inflammation. It moderates and lessens the action of the heart, and 
hence reduces the quantity of blood which passes in a given time to any 
part. It has the advantage of not reducing the strength like loss of blood. 
In large doses it is highly poisonous ; but the tincture may be safely given 
in doses of from ten to twenty drops frequently until the pulse is relieved." 

ANTISPASMODICS. 

" Antispasmodics are medicines which act upon the brain and nerves, 
and through them on the system generally. By their action they overcome 
inordinate muscular action, such as spasms. 

"They usually consist of a narcotic in combination with a diffusible 
stimulant and a slight purgative. An antispasmodic draught may be made of 
Spirits of nitrous ether ..... 2 ozs. 

Tincture of opium i oz. 

Solution of aloes 4 to 5 ozs. 

or, 

Oil of turpentine 2 to 3 ozs. 

Tincture of opium 2 oz. 

Linseed oil . i pint." 

— F. Fitzwygram , ^'^ Horses and Stables" p. I4g et seq. 

COLIC. 

Colic is either caused by spasmodic contraction of the 
muscular tissues of the intestines or by the latter being un- 
duly distended in consequence of the generation of gases 
from undigested food. It occasionally happens that inflam- 
mation of the intestines is mistaken for colic, but the differ- 
ence is easily detected. However, great care should be 
taken in making the diagnosis, as the treatment for both 
disorders, though in many respects it is similar, will result 
in ill effects if misapplied. 



SPASMODIC COLIC. 535 

COLIC. INFLAMMATION OF THE INTESTINES. 

No premonitory symptoms. Want of appetite. 

Pain intermittent. Pain continuous. 

No fever. Dulness. 

Pulse quickened at time of spasm, Feverishness. 

often contracted during intervals Pulse faster by twice or thrice. 

of calm. Extremities cold. 

Extremities warm. Mouth dry and cold. 

Mouth moist. Respiration hurried. 
Tenderness of the belly. 

The first indications of colic or inflammation are usually 
shown by the horse turning his head toward his flank ; as 
the pain increases the animal paws and kicks. When such 
signs of distress exist the horse's temperature should be im- 
mediately taken, the condition of the pulse and extremities 
noted, and the nature of the pain observed; 2. e., as to whether 
it is continuous or intermittent. If there is any fever all food 
should be withheld pending the arrival of a veterinary sur- 
geon, and a dose administered of two drachms of opium 
(diffused with half an ounce of nitric ether) mixed with 
twelve to fifteen ounces of linseed oil. 

SPASMODIC COLIC. 

If the attack occurs soon after the horse has been 
watered or succeeds a chill it is likely that the colic is of a 
spasmodic character. Treatment : 



Cover the horse with a hood and two or more suits of clothing. 

Put on set of flannel bandages. 

Keep the horse on his feet. 

Rub the belly with ammonia liniment. 

Between attacks walk the horse. 



536 FLATULENT CO LLC AND LAMENESS. 

r Nitric ether, i oz. ^ Rum, gin, whiskey, pepper 

6. Give draught of J. Camphor, ij^ dr. V or ginger may be used if no 

1^ Water, 12 ozs. J colic draught is at hand. 

7. Give an injection of two ounces of linseed oil mixed in a quart of 
water as warm as the hand can continuously bear it. Repeat injection every 
half hour, using half the above quantity. 

8. When attack has subsided gradually diminish clothing and keep the 
horse on soft food for a day or so. 

FLATULENT COLIC. 

This form of colic is indicated by the distention and 
extreme sensitiveness of the belly. Treatment: 

1. Cover the horse with a hood and two or more suits of clothing. 

2. Put on a set of flannel bandages. 

3. Keep the horse on his feet. 

r Camphor, i drachm. 

4. Give draught of } Powdered opium, i drachm. 

I Carbonate of ammonia, i drachm. 

5. Rub the belly with ammonia liniment. 

6. Give an injection of two ounces of linseed oil mixed in a quart of 
water as warm as the hand can continuously bear it. Repeat injection every 
half hour, using half the above quantity. 

7. When the attack has subsided gradually diminish clothing and keep 
the horse on soft food for a day or so. 

LAMENESS. 

On p. 432, under the heading " Bandages," is given a 
list of the various lotions used in the treatment of sprains, 
etc., of the tendons of the lower part of the legs. 

" When a horse becomes lame, the shoulder is generally supposed to be 
affected, and, embrocations failing to give the desired relief, blistering, 
rowels, and setons are applied with much needless suffering to the patient 
and uncomplaining horse. 

"Very often the legs are supposed to be the seat of the trouble, and, 
other remedies failing, they are fired with red-hot iron and blistered. 



LAMENESS. 537 

In ninety per cent of all horses lame in front, especially in cities, the seat 
of trouble is in the fore feet, and is caused either by a contraction of the 
hoof or by corns, often by both, for the corn, which is really a bruise, is the 
result of contraction. A simple but decisive test in deciding whether the 
lameness is in the foot or in the shoulder is to lead the horse over some 
obstruction sufficiently high to cause him to lift his feet well off the ground. 
If he steps over it you may be certain the lameness is not in the shoulder ; 
but if he cannot step above it, or if he stubs his toe against it, then examine 
the shoulder. The reason is that the muscles of the shoulder are brought 
into play when the foot is raised high from the ground. The suffering from 
contracted feet is similar to that experienced by a person wearing a tight 
shoe, while that from corns resembles the pain of a bruised finger nail. 

"The causes of these maladies are numerous, but the principal cause is 
neglect. The foot cannot grow and spread naturally without abundance of 
moisture. The wall being much stronger and of a more rapid growth, its 
tendency to cramp and confine the other parts of the foot is greatly increased 
when their expansive powers have become impaired by lack of moisture. 

" Another frequent cause of contraction is the lack of work or exercise, 
especially if the animal is hitched by the head in a narrow stall. All horses 
should have box stalls, if possible, because the freedom of movement favors 
expansion of the feet. 

" Another frequent cause of contraction and lameness in the fore feet is 
neglect of shoeing. The shoes should be reset or new ones applied once 
in every four or five weeks. Tight-fitting shoes and the paring of the sole 
so thin that it is readily bruised are similar causes of lameness. 

" The hind feet are seldom lame, because contraction in them is very 
rare indeed ; but should the horse show signs of lameness, examine the heels 
for scratches, also the ankle, the shin and the hock, the stifle and the hip 
joints. If at any time either a fore or hind foot should be examined for 
lameness and found to be in a condition that precludes the possibility of it, 
there is a strong probability that the horse is suffering from * the scratches,' 
as very often a slight attack will cause him to limp. 

" It should be a rule in all stables that the feet should be cleaned out and 
washed every morning, and again at night, after the day's toil is over. This 
should be strictly enforced, to the exclusion, if need be, of all other groom- 
ing. Do not think from the above that the importance of thorough groom- 



538 EXCESSIVE BLISTERING TOO COMMON, 

ing is understimated ; quite the reverse, but unfortunately too many seem to 
forget that cleansing the foot is an important part of good grooming, and 
aside from the healthful results to the feet from the action of the water upon 
them, the animal learns to stand quietly while being shod, which materially 
lessens the chance of abuse from the blacksmith. Another advantage is 
that stones, bits of glass and nails are sometimes discovered, also raised 
cHnches and loose shoes, and besides, the regular cleansing of the feet pre- 
vents such diseases as thrush, quittor, rotten sole, scratches and grease heels, 
all of which have their primary and exciting cause in dirt. 

'• While handling a horse's feet, be careful never to become angry and 
abuse him ; it only increases his restlessness, and the probability is that you 
are holding him in such a way as to cramp the muscles of the legs. To 
punish him because he endeavors to jerk away his foot to escape pain is 
positively inhuman, but it is too frequently done. 

" All stabled horses should have their feet packed regularly and kept in 
such a condition that the frog (which received its name from the ancient Greeks 
because it will not remain healthy without moisture), may be large, full, 
well spread, and feel to the touch like India rubber, and the horn of a con- 
sistency that * cuts like cheese ' under the farrier's knife. To do this they 
should be packed every night, if necessary. As there is quite a difference of 
opinion among horsemen in regard to the relative merits of the different 
hoof packings, try, therefore, yourself, and ascertain the one that suits you 
best." — H. L. Robbhis in *'Our Animal Friends y 

EXCESSIVE BLISTERING TOO COMMON. 

"Although firing is an operation which gives excessive pain to the horse 
and is often needlessly performed, the sum total of suffering by firing to 
which the horse is subjected at the hands of puzzled veterinary surgeons is 
far overbalanced by the more simple but more common operation of blister- 
ing. When the nature of a joint disease is unknown, and yields not to ordi- 
nary treatment, the refuge of the bold clinical observer and stable-yard 
adviser is to fire the animal. Putting aside suffering, the advice is safe ; for 
the natural retort to any questioning is, ' If firing does not cure him, nothing 
more can be done.' Firing, however, is a troublesome undertaking, while 
rubbing in a strong blistering concretion is a trifling matter. And if the 
horse does suffer pain for a few days after, it is of little account to the 



COMMON COLD AND WORMS. 539 

ignorant groom, who can display his blistering ability to his master at the 
slightest opportunity, although he dare not attempt to handle firing irons. 
There is but rarely a private stable of more than a few animals in which the 
effects of blistering, past or present, may not be witnessed on the limbs of 
one of the animals. If blistering were a ' cure-all,' the frequency with which 
it is adopted might be tolerated. But its curative efficacy in ninety per 
cent of the instances wherein it is applied is more than doubtful." — Ex. 

COMMON COLD. 

As soon as the horse has contracted a cold no time 
should be lost in preventing the congestion from becoming 
aggravated. Fresh air, protection from draughts, warm cloth- 
ing and exercise, if the weather conditions are favorable, are 
all that will be required under ordinary circumstances to 
restore the horse to his normal condition. If the bowels do 
not act freely one or more injections of warm water should 
be given and a lighter diet of bran, linseed gruel, grass, 
etc., substituted once or twice a day for the regular feed of 
oats. The use of all strong purgatives must be prohib- 
ited. Should the horse fail to improve in a day or so or 
the attack be not discovered until fever develops, the follow- 
ing medicine may be given to advantage once or twice a day: 

Sweet spirits of nitre ..... i ounce. 

Nitrate of potash . . . . .2 drachms. 
Water ....... y^ pint. 

WORMS. 

"Remedies to destroy intestinal worms are much more efficient if given 
after a long fast, and then the worm medicine must be supplemented by a 
physic to carry out the worms. Among the best worm medicines may be 
mentioned santonine, turpentine, tartar emetic, infusion of tobacco, and 
bitter tonics. To destroy tapeworms, areca nut, male fern and pumpkin 
seeds are the best. If a horse is passing the long, round worms, for in- 



540 SHOE BOIL AND DRENCHING HORSES. 

stance, the plan of treatment is to give twice daily, for three or four days, 
a drench composed of turpentine one ounce, and linseed oil two or three 
ounces, to be followed on the fourth day by a physic of Barbadoes aloes 
one ounce. If the pinworms are present (the ones that infest the large 
bowels), injections into the rectum of infusions of tobacco, infusions of 
quassia chips, one half pound to a gallon of water, once or twice daily for 
a few days, and followed by a physic, are most beneficial. It should be 
borne in mind that intestinal worms are mostly seen in horses that are in 
poor condition ; and an essential part of our treatment then is to improve 
the appetite and powers of digestion. This is best done by giving the 
vegetable tonics. One half ounce of Peruvian bark, gentian, ginger, quassi , 
etc., is to be given twice a day in the feed or as a drench. Unless some 
such medicines and good food and pure water are given to tone up the di- 
gestive organs the worms will rapidly accumulate again, even though they 
may have all been expelled by the worm medicines proper." — Ch. B. 
Michener, V. S., in " Special Report on the Diseases of Horses^' U. S. Depart- 
ment of Agriculture. 

SHOE BOIL. 

The boils which occur on the elbow are usually due 
to the pressure of the shoe when the horse is lying down. 
The boil should be opened and after the matter has been 
drained out, a three per cent solution of zinc sulphate should 
be injected daily, and any further irritation prevented by the 
use of a shoe boil boot. (See Fig. 190, p. 308.) 

DRENCHING HORSES. 

" Some horses are difficult to drench, and serious accidents have oc- 
curred during the operation, although, fortunately, such cases are rare. 
One of these, however, was recently brought to the notice of a correspond- 
ent. In this case the neck and shoulder — the latter broken and jagged — 
of the bottle by which a horse was being drenched had stuck in the larynx, 
with, of course, immediately fatal results. The bottle had evidently got 
under his molar teeth, and was thus broken. An accident, of course ; for the 
proper place to insert the neck of the bottle, as every stableman knows, is 



DRENCHING HORSES. 



541 



in the space between the front and back teeth, where the bit of a bridle is 
placed. Although such accidents as the one we have mentioned seldom 
happen, it is well to observe caution when drenching a horse. The horn of 
an ox makes a good drenching instrument — one fashioned after the manner 
of the old powder horn formerly in use in England, and now not uncommon 
among Boers in Cape Colony. Tin drenching bottles will also protect 
against any damage done to it likely to injure the animal. There is a slight 
disadvantage, however, in using opaque material. A glass bottle enables 
the operator to see the exact amount of the liquid consumed at any time 
in the course of administering the drug, an observation impossible to be 
made in the case of horn or tin. One rule in drenching a horse should 
always be observed. As soon as there are signs that the horse is about to 
cough, his head should be let down — or let free, which is the same thing — 
or on the inspiration following the cough some of the drench will probably 
enter the windpipe. Inflammation of the bronchial tubes is a common 
occurrence where this precaution is not carefully observed." — Londoft Live 
Stock Journal. 

TABLE OF MEASURES. 



I drachm ") 

or y A Teaspoonful. 

yk oz. 3 

2 drachms '\ 

or V A Dessertspoonful. 
% oz. \ 

3 drachms ) » .,, r i j 
^ ( ^ ' easpoonful and 



3/S OZ. 



Dessertspoonful. 



4 drachms ~\ 

or [• 2 Dessertspoonfuls. 

y^ oz. ) 



8 drachms ) 

or - 4 Dessertspoonfuls. 

I oz. ) 



2 ozs. 
or 

% gill- 



A Wine Glassful. 



4 ozs. 

or \- A Tea Cupful. 
I gill. 



CHAPTER XX. 
HINTS ON DRIVING. 

ONE HORSE — A PAIR — TANDEM AND FOUR-IN-HAND 
SUPPLEMENTED WITH SOME NOTES ON TANDEM 
AND FOUR-IN-HAND DRIVING 

By FREDERIC ASHENDEN 
DRIVING. 

The same principles apply to the driving of one horse as to 
the driving of a pair. First look your horses over and make 
sure that the harness is properly adjusted. The best driver 
may be seriously handicapped by the carelessness of a stable 
servant. 

POSITION OF THE REINS. 

When ready to start hold the whip in the palm of the right 
hand at the point where the ferrule encircles the handle. 

In taking up the reins stand on the off side (the right 
hand side as you face the horse's head) about a foot and a 
half away from the pad, face slightly forward. 

Pick up the loop at the buckle end of the reins with the 
little finger of the left hand, and with the right hand remove 
the reins from the pad-terret. Place the fore and middle fin- 
gers of the left hand between the reins. The near rein (the 
left one) should lie over the index finger. 

Step back until you are on a line with the horse's hocks. 
Hold the left hand close to the body. Place the middle fin- 
ger of the right hand between the reins and draw them 

542 



POSITION ON THE BOX. 



543 



through the fingers of the left hand as far as the right hand 
can carry them, and remove the right hand. (The stitching 
where the two parts of each rein are sewed together should 
be even.) Under ordinary conditions this will give them the 
proper length when you have taken your position on the 
driving seat. 

Now transfer the reins to the right hand, placing the 
middle and index fingers of the right hand between the reins 
with the near rein over the index finger. Slip the loop from 
the little finorer of the left hand onto the little finder of the 
right hand. 

As soon as you 
have mounted take 
your seat on the 
cushion and transfer 
the reins into the left 
hand, the near rein 
over the forefinger 
and the off rein 
under the middle 

finger. At the same time slip the loop from the little finger 
of the right hand to that of the left hand. The whip should, 
from the first, be retained in the right hand. 




NEAR REIN 



FIG. I, 



POSITION ON THE BOX. 

The body should be erect, but without stiffness, the 
shoulders parallel with the seat, the elbows kept close to the 
sides of the body and the left fore arm horizontal, the wrist 
so flexed that the tips of the fingers lightly touch the centre 
of the waist. (See fig. i.) The knees and heels should be 



544 STARTING, LENGTHENING AND SHORTENING REINS. 

kept close together, and the feet should be tucked neither 
under nor extended as far as possible in front of the body. 
The legs should be slightly bent at the knees. 



STARTING. 

Havino- assured vourself that the reins, as held, are of 
even and correct length, start your horse or horses by a light 
touch of the whip, at the same time drop and extend the left 
hand. This will give more rein and thus prevent any sudden 

pressure on the bit when 
the horse goes up into 
his collar. 

When the horse has 
taken the pace at which 
you desire him to go, an 
even one of from seven 
to nine miles per hour is 
the best, bring your left 
wrist up so that the fingers 
touch the waist as previously described. Maintain as far as 
is practicable an even pressure on the reins, holding them 
not with the thumb, but between the palm and the fingers. 




NEAR REIN 



OFF REIN p 



FIG. 



LENGTHENING AND SHORTENING THE REINS. 

When changing the position of the hands let the reins be 
held always by the ha7id which is in f^'ont. 

If you wish to lengthen or shorten the reins, place the 
second and little fingers of the right hand betvveen the reins 
ten or twelve inches in front of the left hand, the middle and 
forefingers of the right hand over the near rein. (See fig. 2.) 



STOPPING — TURNING. 



545 



The reins may now be either shortened or lengthened by 
sliding the left hand forward or backward. As soon as the 
desired change is made remove the right hand. When it is 
necessary to shorten the reins more than can be done by one 
movement, the left hand instead of being slid up may be used 
to grasp the reins in front of the right hand, and, if occasion 
requires it, this hand over hand movement may be repeated. 




NEAR REIN 



FIG. 3. 



STOPPING. 



To stop the horse or pair under ordinary conditions, raise 
the left hand and place the right hand on the reins about 
eio^ht inches in front of the left hand in the manner described 
for shortening or lengthening the reins. Press the reins in 
toward the body with the right hand. Should this pressure 
be insufificient the left hand may be advanced in front of the 
right hand and the reins further tightened. 



TURNING. 



In turning to the right grasp the off rein with the little. 



second and middle fingers. 



Bend the little finger in toward 
35 



546 



THE TANDEM AND FOUR-IN-HAND WHIP. 



NEAR REIN 



the body. Opposition may be exerted by bending the left 
knuckle in toward the body. ( See fig. 3.) 

In turning to the left, place the thumb and forefinger of the 
right hand over the near rein and grasp the rein between 
the middle and forefingers. Opposition may be exerted on 
the off rein by the little and second fingers of the right hand. 

(See fig. 4.) 

THE TANDEM AND 
FOUR-IN-HAND WHIP. 

Before taking your 
reins into your hand, it is 
absolutely necessary that 
you should become pro- 
ficient in handling a tan- 
dem or four-in-hand whip. 
One of the simplest 
methods of learning to catch a double thong is as follows: — 
Hold the whip horizontally in front of you with the end 
of the thong held between the handle of the whip and your 
fingers. Face a wall or the side of a building and with the 
quill end of the whip describe a letter S backwards. Begin 
with the lower tail of the letter following its form to the upper 
end. Don't move the arm, keep the elbow easily by the side, 
and direct the movement of the whip by turning the wrist. 
Continue to increase the speed until the thong falls in place. 
At first a short downward movement at the end will facilitate 
the accomplishment of this somewhat difficult feat. 

Another method is to catch this thong over the head in- 
stead of in front or to the side. This is done virtually by the 




KIG. 4. 



TANDEM AND FOUR-IN-HAND — POSITION OF REINS. 547 

same movement, the imaginary letter S being horizontally 
overhead instead of vertically in front or to one side. 

Still another method involves a new movement. Hold the 
whip with the right hand against the waist and the quill end 
well around to the left and on a line with the top of the head. 
Carry the stick at this angle around to the right until in a 
line with the right shoulder. In so doing raise the right hand 
gradually. Now drop the quill end of the whip until it is on 
a line with the handle. This last movement should be exe- 
cuted quickly so that the end of the stick strikes the thong 
on the right hand side of the stick. 

When the thong is caught it is wound around the stick in 
opposite directions. The lower end should be unwound with 
the right hand, the whip. being held between the thumb and 
forefinger of the left hand. The end of the thong should be 
rewound in the same direction as the upper part and held in 
place by the right hand. The loop should be about two feet 
and a half long and caught on the quill part of the stick. 

TANDEM AND FOUR-IN-HAND. 

POSITION OF THE REINS. 

In taking up the reins stand about two feet from the pad 
of the off wheeler. Remove the reins from the pad-terret or 
trace tug and allow them to fall to the ground. 

First take up the near lead rein with the left hand, placing 
the little, second and middle fingers under the rein. Drop the 
left hand to the side, allowing the reins to slip through the 
fingers. Tighten the fingers over the rein at this point. 
Now raise the left hand and place the little and second fingers 
under the off lead rein. Drop the hand to the side as before. 



548 



POSITION OF THE REINS. 



The parts where the reins are joined should hang evenly in 
front of the left hand. The reins may be adjusted by taking 
the rein that is to be drawn out between the middle and in- 
dex fingers of the right hand. The reins should now be 
transferred into the right hand separated by the middle finger. 
(See fig. 5.) 

Take up the wheel reins in the left hand separating them 
with the middle finger, the near wheel rein on top. Drop 
the left hand to the side as described in the preceding para- 




EAR LEAD 
OFF LEAD 



FIG. 5. 



graph. Now raise the hand and adjust the reins, with the 
thumb and forefinger of the right hand, so that the buckles 
on the wheel reins hang evenly. 

Pass the lead reins, into the left hand, the near rein over 
the index finger and the off lead rein under the index finger 
and on top of the near wheel rein. (See fig. 6.) 

When taking up the reins draw each in turn gently 
through the terrets, tight enough merely to "feel" the bit 
without causing the horse to flex his neck or make any 
backward movement. 



POSITION ON THE BOX. 



549 



Step back to the wheelers' hocks, and, keeping the left hand 
against the body, take the reins with the right hand in the 
same order as they are in the left hand. With the right 
hand close in front of the left one, draw the reins through 
the fingers of the left hand as far as the right arm can be 
extended, and then remove the right hand. 

As soon as this is done, take the whip in the right hand 
from the footboard (if a tandem), or from the backs of the 
wheelers (if a four-in-hand), and transfer the reins into the 




OFF LEAD 
KIG. 6. 



NEAR WHEEL 



right hand in the same order as they were held in the left 
hand. The reins are now to one side and out of your way in 



mountmg. 



Place your left foot on the hub, your right on the roller- 
bolt, then the left foot on the body step, and the right one on 
the foot board. Take your seat as soon as possible and trans- 
fer the reins back into the left hand in the original order. 



POSITION ON THE BOX. 



The correct position of the feet, legs, body, arms, and hands 
has been described in the notes on driving a single horse or a 
pair. 



550 STARTING. 



STARTING. 



As soon as you are ready to start, the horses should be 
brought up in their collars so that the traces are taut and 
some signal given to the servants, who should remove the 
blankets or sheets which have been thrown over the horses' 
quarters. Shorten your leaders' reins about a foot by taking 
them out of the left hand, placing the middle finger of the 
right hand between them, and replacing the reins in the left 
hand by carrying the right hand behind the left one. Take 
off the break as quietly as possible. Now advance the right 
hand and put the little and second fingers over the two ofit 
reins, the middle and index finger so placed over the two 
near reins that the latter may be grasped. By having the 
right hand in this position you may stop abruptly, guide to 
the left or right, or, with a slight change of the hands, hold 
back the wheelers by placing the middle finger between the 
reins with the forefinger over the near wheel rein, holding 
the off wheel rein with the little and second fingers. 

Having thus prepared for emergencies, keep the hands on 
the reins, but drop and extend the hands. At the same time 
signal to your horses by a short one or two note whistle as an 
indication to them that you are ready to start. The horses 
soon become accustomed to this signal which is better than 
any other since it is heard at the same instant by both leader 
and wheeler. After the horses have gotten into motion, bring 
the left hand up into position near the centre of the waist and 
remove the right hand from the reins, holding it slightly in 
advance of the left one. 



TO SHORTEN OR LENGTHEN THE REINS. 551 

TO SHORTEN OR LENGTHEN THE REINS. 

To shorten or lengthen the lead reins, place the middle 
finger of the right hand between the lead reins directly or at 
some little distance in front of the left hand, depending upon 
how much the lead reins are to be taken up or lengthened. 
If you wish to lengthen them, tighten the fingers of the right 
hand and draw the reins out to the desired distance. Should 
you wish to shorten the lead reins, take them out of the left 
hand, and in putting them back bring the left hand behind 
the rifjht one. Do not advance the left hand. 

To lengthen or shorten the wheel reins, place the right 
hand under the lead reins and grasp the wheel reins in the 
same manner as described for taking up the lead reins. The 
wheel reins can now be either pushed back or drawn through 
the finorers of the left hand. 

TO STRAIGHTEN THE TEAM. 

Should the leaders work over to the right of the wheelers, 
grasp the two reins, which are between the second and middle 
fingers of the left hand, between the middle and index fingers 
of the right hand. Draw these reins (the off lead and the near 
wheel) out a little, and it will be seen that it has the effect of 
brinoincr the team into line. Should the leaders work over to 
the left of the wheelers, instead of drawing the centre reins 
out, work them a little further back through the fingers of the 
left hand. 

STOPPING. 

When it is desired to stop the team, raise the left hand, 
and, placing the right hand over the reins, twelve inches in 



552 



TURNING. 



front of the left hand, as described in a preceding paragraph, 
press the reins in toward the body with the right hand. 



TURNING. 

To turn to the right, shorten the leaders' reins so that the 
lead bars hang slack and place the little, second and middle 
fineers over the off lead rein about five inches in front of the 
left hand (depending upon how sharp a turn you desire to 
make). Draw the off lead rein back over the forefinger of 
the left hand, first raising the left thumb. Whenever you 

think you have short- 
ened the rein suffici- 
ently drop the thumb 
on the loop thus 
made. ( See fig. 7. ) 
Place the right 
hand over the off 
reins and be ready to 
grasp the off wheel 
rein from the inside 
with the little and second fingers, should the off wheeler 
fail to follow the off leader in making the turn. At the 
same time place the middle finger of the right hand be- 
tween the near wheel, and the near lead rein with the fore- 
finger over the latter, and thus be ready to exert opposition 
should the horses on the near side turn too quickly. By 
placing the middle finger between the lead reins they may 
be operated separately or together. 

It will be seen that the wheelers may be drawn back to- 
gether at any time in making the turn. As soon as the turn 




OFF LEAD 
OFF WHE 



NEAR LEAD 
NEAR WHEEL 



TURNING ACUTE ANGLES. 553 

has been completed lift the left thumb and let out the loop of 
the off lead rein, then, after giving the leaders more rein, let 
the hands resume the position shown in fig. 6. 

To turn to the left, shorten the leaders' rein so that the 
lead bars hang slack and place the little, second and middle 
finders over the near lead rein about five inches in front of 
the left hand ( depending upon how sharp a turn you wish to 
make ). Draw the near lead rein back over the forefinger of 
the left hand, first raising the thumb. Whenever you think 
you have shortened the rein sufliiciently, drop the thumb on 
the loop thus made. Grasp the off lead rein with the little 
and second fingers of the right hand and insert the middle 
fino^er between the off and near wheel reins. The near 
wheeler may be made to follow the near leader by tightening 
the near wheel rein with the middle and forefingers. Oppo- 
sition may be exerted on each or both off reins ; or the 
wheelers may be drawn back together. When the turn has 
been made drop the loop and after giving the leaders more 
rein, allow the hands to resume the position shown in fig. 6. 

TURNING ACUTE ANGLES. 

In turning an acute angle to the right, take up the leaders 
as has been previously described. Then with the right hand 
reach over the lead reins, and, grasping the near wheel rein 
with the little, second and middle fingers, bring it up to the 
left of the lead rein and back over the index finger of the left 
hand, dropping the rein down in front of, and around, the 
thumb, in such a manner that the rein will be held in place 
by the fleshy part of the thumb near the wrist. Now make 
a ten-inch loop with the off lead rein, holding the loop in 



554 TURNING ACUTE ANGLES. 

place with the thumb, and, reaching under the lead reins make, 
in a similar manner, a point with the off wheel rein. After 
the turn is made first drop the points, then the opposition 
over the thumb, and finally let out your leaders. 

In turning an acute angle to the left, first take up the 
leaders, then place the right hand under the off lead rein, and 
push back toward the body the off wheel rein through the 
fingers of the left hand, and make the two points with the 
near lead and wheel reins. After the turn has been made, 
draw out the off wheel rein with the right hand until the 
buckles on the hand pieces are even. Then let out the off 
wheel rein and the two points as described in preceding 
paragraph. 

In turning a right angle as from an avenue into a street, 
make the point, i.e. loop, over the forefinger when the leaders' 
fore feet have reached the corner. 

In going down hill take up your leaders so that the lead 
bars hang slack and then shorten all four reins. 

If your reins become misplaced, keep your team going 
unless approaching or on a sharp decline. Under the latter 
conditions have the servants run to the horses' heads and 
bring them to a stop as quickly as possible. It is much easier 
to re-adjust the reins when the horses are going than to try 
to stop them. Find the lead reins and take them in the right 
hand with the middle finger between them, then with the 
thumb and forefinger of the right hand place the wheel reins 
in their proper position, and when this is accomplished return 
the lead reins to the left hand. Remember the off rein 
belongs on top of the near ones. 

It is advisable to have " stops " of leather placed upon the 
lead reins just behind the coupling buckles in order to pre- 




X 

o 



w 



2 Z 

2 z 

IT O 

O " 

-J W 

O p 

- o 

o ^ 

0. - 



NOTES ON TANDEM AND FOUR-IN-HAND DRIVING. 555 

vent these buckles from catching in the wheelers' terrets. The 
crupper should be sewed, not buckled to the crupper straps 
of the leaders, and the point of the loop which passes through 
the D in leaders' pad, should not extend beyond the last 
keeper. Wherever it is practicable the possibility of the lead 
reins becoming entangled should be eliminated. 



NOTES ON TANDEM AND FOUR-IN-HAND DRIVING. 

By FREDERIC ASHENDEN. 

After thirty-five years' experience in coaching both in 
this country and in England, I venture to submit the follow- 
ing information and advice to novices in four-in-hand driving, 
which I trust will be of use to them. 

First of all, I must state that I do not agree with some 
authorities on driving that tandem is easier than four-in- 
hand, except for the difference in the weight of reins and 
four horses' heads (a team that carry their heads properly 
should require no checks, unless for a park team, where 
appointments count) instead of two, and also unless the 
leader is perfect, or the tandem a thoroughly schooled one. 
A tandem leader — a perfect one — is quite the hardest 
kind of harness horse to find, the world over. 

In tandem the leader can almost do anything he chooses, 
turn round and look at you, nearly get into the cart, or get 
tangled up with a passing vehicle; whereas with a four-in- 
hand, if a leader shies or is frightened in any way, his mate 
will help to keep him straight, because two horses hardly 
ever shy at the same object simultaneously. 



556 NOTES ON TANDEM AND FOUR-IN-HAND DRIVING. 

It has ever been my custom (and it always worked well 
and gave satisfaction) to give a tandem pupil half a dozen 
lessons in four-in-hand first, because the reins are more 
easily handled as they do not run up to the hand so close 
together as in tandem. Furthermore, the pupil has more 
confidence after driving four, and does not get tired so 
soon on account of the decreased weight, as already men- 
tioned. The beginner who can afford an establishment of 
his own should be most particular in engaging a thoroughly 
competent head man — one who has absolute knowledge of 
all the work in connection with coaching. Such men, in the 
United States, I regret to say, are nearly as scarce as hens' 
teeth. 

Learn to catch the thong and handle the whip properly ; 
it looks easy, but it is one of the most dif^cult parts of the 
business. Many (too many) who have been driving for years 
are to-day unable to catch a double thong and use the whip 
with skill and safety. A beginner should constantly practise 
with the whip, and know how to handle it, before he takes 
the reins in his hand ; he can then handle them without 
half as much trouble. 

Another most important matter for the novice to know 
before getting on the box, is to thoroughly understand how 
to put to and take out a four-in-hand. Two men at least 
are absolutely necessary in putting a team (four) in harness. 
When putting in the wheelers, one man ought to stand by 
their heads ; the other then puts the pole-chains through the 
ring on the hames sufficiently tight to keep the horses from 
running back to the splinter bar. Then he goes to the 
traces. The outside traces of the Wheelers and leaders 
should be put on first ; in taking the horses out take off the 



NOTES ON TANDEM AND FOUR-IN-HAND DRIVING. 557 

inside traces first. The leaders should be taken out first, 
and the wheelers p2it to first. The reason for putting on 
the outside trace first is to prevent the horse from swineins 
around and possibly pulling the collar over his head and thus 
becoming practically loose. The ordinary coachman and 
stableman will ever persist — out of pure ignorance — in 
putting on the wrong trace first, at the risk of being kicked 
and at the danger of having the coach smashed, especially 
with a "green" team. After adjusting the wheelers' traces 
the servant should go back to the pole-chains and pull them 
up to a proper and comfortable length. The wheelers' 
traces and pole-chains should never be too tight, else the 
horses cannot work in comfort, and sore shoulders and 
withers are the result. Tight pole-chains will pull the collar 
away from the horse's shoulders, causing him to work un- 
comfortably and to the annoyance of the driver, who, if a 
novice, will wonder at the cause. 

That done, couple the wheelers by putting the reins 
either in the cheek, middle, or bottom bar, according to the 
way each horse (of the four) is accustomed to being bitted 
and drives best. The leaders should then be put to, the 
traces on first, then coupled, as were the wheelers. With 
such a team (green), or four horses who have never been 
driven together, I have found from experience that the best 
way to bit them is to put all in the middle bar outside and 
cheek inside, until the driver finds out how they work, 
their mouths, dispositions, etc., and then adjust the bitting 
accordingly. For instance, if you find a horse light mouthed, 
then put him cheek both sides; if a puller, put him in the 
middle bar both sides, or bottom bar if necessary. Don't 
own a puller if you want a comfortable drive. The inside 



558 NOTES ON TANDEM AND EOUR-IN-HAND DRIVING. 

rein of either wheeler or leader who is inclined to carry his 
head higher than his mate, should be underneaik. These 
are most important points, for unless a team works together, 
driving becomes a pain — torture in fact — instead of being 
a pleasure. 

Frequently it occurs that one leader or wheeler (some- 
times one of each) is less free than the other. Then the 
couplings should be let out accordingly, until the driver 
sees for himself that they are all working evenly, or, if 
necessary, let out the slack horse (or horses) four holes, and 
take the free one back a hole. The traces, also, can be 
lengthened or shortened according to necessity, to make 
all work evenly. These changes should be made as often 
as seems necessary for a few days, and then if the team does 
not work together, the owner may feel reasonably sure that 
his horses will never make a level going lot. 

Similar mouths and dispositions are great factors in the 
make-up of a comfortable four to drive. The same average 
speed is also essential. One slow horse, especially a leader, 
spoils the whole outfit. 

Another point in connection with a "green" lot is to 
"lap" (cross) the leaders' traces, fastening the trace to the 
same lead bar as if not crossed. This helps considerably 
to keep them together, as, for instance, if one leader shies, 
the other will help to keep him in his place, for as already 
stated, two horses seldom shy at the same object at the 
same time. 

When starting a four, after getting the reins in proper 
position as to length and couplings, so that the horses' 
mouths can be felt, call out " Pull up " (not " Get up "), drop 
your hand sufficiently to give them their heads, allowing 



NOTES ON TANDEM AND FOUR-IN-HAND DRIVING. 559 

the horses to get into the collar without jerking and snatch- 
ing. Do not use the whip or "cluck" — in fact, never 
"cluck" to a four-in-hand, because the horse (or horses) 
who is already doing the most work will do all the more 
and thus make everything very uncomfortable. Use the 
whip on the slack horses after you have got them started, 
but with as little noise as possible, else it will have a worse 
effect on the free ones than "clucking." 

No one should ever attempt to drive a four unless he or 
she has had several lesso.ns from an experienced and com- 
petent teacher, and after that ought not to take out his 
family or friends, if he has any regard for their necks or 
his own, until he has had at least a year's constant practice 
both in town and country — especially the former, as driving 
a well mannered team on good country roads is child's play 
compared to "tooling" them through the traffic of crowded 
streets and parks. 

Horses most suitable for coaching, either park or road 
work, should consist of wheelers 15-3 hands, leaders 15-2 
hands, with breedy heads and necks. If such a four have 
sufficient weight, bone and substance, they will and can do 
as much work as a team measuring 16 hands or over, and 
stand the wear and tear far better. Wheelers should be 
considerably heavier than leaders. On fairly good roads 
four horses should be able to travel at an average of ten 
miles an hour. The leaders' traces on a level road ought 
always to appear slack, allowing the bars to clatter a little, 
or, as it is termed in coaching parlance, make some " music." 

In going down hill, take all four well in hand, then take 
the leaders well back, as they must do no work at all. 
Going up hill, a coachman may " spring " or gallop them, 



560 NOTES ON TANDEM AND FOUR-IN-HAND DRIVING. 

not too fast, allowing the leaders to do an equal share of the 
work ; it is then, and only then, that their traces should 
be really tight. When their traces look slack on a level 
road, they are in reality doing their full share of the work 
— in fact, leaders invariably sweat and tire sooner than the 
wheelers ; so much so that on a long stage, in the olden 
days, the horses were frequently reversed — leaders put in 
the wheel — to rest the former. 





PREPARING TO MOUNT, AND PROPER SEAT. 



CHAPTER XXI. 
RIDING AND DRIVING FOR WOMEN. 

By belle beach. 

" Your 'ead and your 'eart keep bravely up, 
Your 'ands and your 'eels keep down. 
Your knees keep close to your 'orse's sides 
And your elbows close to your own." 

Riding is more popular among women to-day than it has 
ever been before. Novices are taking lessons, and those 
who dropped it are taking it up again, and' it has become as 
important a part in the education of a child as mathematics, 
music, or dancing. 

There is an old and very true saying: " Riders are born, 
not made." Yet being born with a gift for horsemanship is 
no more all-sufficient than being born with a beautiful voice, 
or a genius for painting. The voice must be cultivated, the 
painter must study his art, and the rider must be trained. 
Self-made riders are apt to scorn what we call form, yet 
they should know that form is neither fad nor fashion, and 
is most essential in both riding and driving. 

Women commencing to ride must realize that ten, twenty, 
or forty lessons will not make experienced horsewomen of 
them. Riding looks easy, and it is, but not easy to learn 
(and I would like to add, to teach); age makes no especial 
difference, but in riding, as in everything else, the earlier 
one takes it up the greater advantage one has. I do not 
approve of a very small child learning to ride. Young 

36 561 



562 A LADY'S SADDLE HORSE. 

children's less are so short that it is hard for them to 
keep their balance, and upon balance depends so much 
in the saddle. Seven years is a good age for a child to 
commence riding. 

It is best for a beginner to commence on a quiet horse, 
and be contented to go slowly at first. By slowly I mean 
one should not be ambitious to trot before knowing how 
to hold the reins, or to canter before knowing how to 
trot. Another advantage in using a quiet horse the first 
few rides is that it allows one to gain confidence in one's 
self. If the rider will only be patient in the beginning she 
will find it greatly to her advantage in the end. 

A lady's saddle horse. 

It seems a pity that no established type of woman's 
saddle horse has yet been set by the National Horse Show 
Association. A recognized type would be of inestimable 
value to both breeders and exhibitors. Different judges with 
their own ideas are employed in the different shows, and, to 
use a slang expression, " we are kept guessing." 

The typical saddle horse, or park hack, for a woman should 
have a neck long enough to give length of rein, a well bred 
and well carried head with fine crest. An intelligent eye and 
small well pointed ears add much to appearance. The length 
of back should be in proportion to the saddle which is to 
cover it. The shoulders sloping and withers sufficiently 
sharp to carry the saddle. Round quarters and barrel with 
depth of girth, dock placed high to give a good top line, and 
a set of legs showing bone to support the above. 

The paces should be smooth and well balanced and not 
show excessive action. The walk free and elastic, without a 



MOUNTING AND DISMOUNTING. 563 

tendency to " jigjog." The trot and canter thoroughly "col- 
lected " with hind legs carried well under the body. 

Above all things a woman's horse must possess manners; 
they are absolutely essential for the rider's pleasure, appear- 
ance, and safety, and a horse can have the best of manners 
with plenty of spirit and yet be perfectly tractable. 

MOUNTING AND DISMOUNTING. 

In mounting from the ground first gather the reins in 
the right hand and then grasp the upper pommel, place the 
left hand on the lower pommel, or leaping horn, and face 
slightly towards your horse's shoulder; put the ball of the 
left foot in the groom's right hand, and at an agreed signal 
straighten the left knee and spring simultaneously from his 
hand as he gives a sudden upward impetus ; you will find 
yourself sitting sideways on the saddle. Put the right knee 
over the pommel, the left foot in the stirrup, get your habit 
into place, have the straps adjusted, and transfer the reins 
to the left hand. Mounting from the ground is quite a 
knack and requires some practice, not only on your part 
but on the part of the groom. 

In mounting unaided from the ground lower the stirrup 
to the last hole, place the left foot in the iron, the hands 
on the pommels, and spring into the saddle. Once mounted 
adjust the stirrup to its proper length. 

In dismounting put the reins in the right hand and with 
the left free yourself of your habit straps. Take the left foot 
from the stirrup, lift the right knee from the pommel, being 
sure you free the skirt at the same time, put both hands on 
the pommels and spring lightly to the ground. If there is a 
groom ready to assist you in dismounting, he should hold 



564 



THE PROPER SEAT. 




THE PROPER SEAr. 

proper position of 
the lesfs, other diffi- 
CLilties will be over- 
come. 

The rider should 
sit upon the saddle 
neither more to the 
right than to the left, 
but squarely in the 
centre. The right leg should be 
well down on the saddle, and the 
right knee should pull back on the 
upper pommel ; the grip with the 
right leq; comes from underneath 
the knee and a little below it, the 



your horse with the left hand, and 
proffer his arm, stiff, and crooked 
at the elbow. This you touch 
lightly with your left hand as you 
spring. 

THE PROPER SEAT. 

Balance is one of the most 
important laws in riding. The 
first lesson 
should be de- 
voted to balance 
and nothingelse. 
If a rider will 
remember that a 
good seat de- 
pends upon the 




INCORRECT POSITION. 



HANDS. 565 

remainder of the right leg should hang easily. This and 
nothing else, gives the firm, square seat, and if the right, 
knee is in the proper place, the right shoulder (the most 
defective part) will not be forward or down, but in line, and 
the shoulders will be as square as a man's. The left knee 
should not be pressed up against the pommel, or leaping 
horn, but should be held in firmly against the saddle in the 
same position as a man's knee. The stirrup foot should be 
held with the heel down and the toe up and turned a bit 
toward the horse's side. I do not approve of a very long 
stirrup for a woman as it is inclined to make her ride too 
far forward in her saddle and upon her horse's withers. 

If these important things are remembered and practised, 
correct position will be insured in the saddle, the rider will sit 
squarely and gracefully on her horse, the proper amount of 
work will be done with the right leg, and the right knee will 
stay firm in the canter, while all the riding will not be done 
with the left leg, and the weight will not be thrown on the 
stirrup. 

HANDS. 

The hands should be held in line with the waist, neither 
above nor below, the elbows in, not out, and the wrists must 
be supple. Both hands should be kept in position and neither 
of the arms should ever be allowed to hano^ straiQ:ht at one's 
side. 

Light hands are a great gift, and if not possessed every 
care should be taken to cultivate them. But with their li2:ht- 
ness should be combined firmness and a quick sympathy with 
the horse's mouth. In many cases it is the pulling rider, 
not the pulling horse. It is the delicate firmness that the 



566 



ACCIDENTS. 



hand has on the piano that counts, not the bang, and so it is 
in managing a horse. A horse seems to know when a rider 
is nervous and rarely fails to take advantage of it ; that is the 
reason that a horse that acts hke a brute with one person will 
go like a lamb for another. 




THE HANDS. 



ACCIDENTS. 

Some of the most serious accidents that have happened to 
women riding have been caused by their being thrown off to 
the right of their horse and hanging by skirt or stirrup. 

If a horse shies to the right one should immediately throw 
one's weight over to the left, this brings the legs into posi- 
tion on the pommels and gets one again in balance, whereas if 



DRESS. 567 

one allows or throws the weight to the right, the legs lose 
their grip, and the body is thrown off to the right, usually 
hanging by skirt or stirrup, unless these are (as they always 
should be) safety. 

Another important rule to bear in mind is never, under 
any circumstances, let go of the reins. Control of the horse 
once lost the rider is completely at his mercy. If a horse 
turns with you suddenly, instead of pulling him in the 
opposite direction from which he has turned, pull him around 
the same way until you have brought his head in the original 
direction you wished him to go. Horses are very much like 
children; they need to be managed, not bullied, in other 
words, to quote one of our greatest exponents of the Boucher 
method : " It is the strength of effect, not the effect of 
strength." 

DRESS'. 

Much has been said and written in regard to correct dress 
for the saddle, and yet how many women know and practise 
its two most important laws: first, to dress plainly and com- 
fortably, and second, that the dress should be appropriate.? 

There are very few tailors in this country who understand 
the making of a really good habit, but there are three or four 
in New York whose work in this line is quite as good as any 
I have seen from abroad. 

The habit must be well made, well fitted, of correct style 
and of the best material. Safety skirts should always be 
worn, these are made in two different ways, one is practically 
nothing but an apron, but gives the effect of a skirt in the 
saddle ; there is no back to it and the legs are perfectly free 
and in direct contact with the saddle. This is a very good and 



568 I?/^ESS. 

safe pattern for hunting and country use, but is awkward when 
dismounted. The other is more Hke the ordinary habit skirt, 
but with an open seam back of the legs and up around the 
pommels ; this is provided with patent fasteners permitting 
it to be closed when off the horse, and readily opened prepar- 
atory to mounting. 

The regulation habit-coat is tight fitting, single-breasted, 
with five or six buttons, and made long enough to touch the 
horse in back. This is the most sensible style to order when 
one confines one's self to one habit. Covert coats should be 
made big, and are very smart for outdoor riding. Norfolk 
jackets look well on slight people and children, and are most 
comfortable for country use. 

The heavier cloth you select for your habit the better it 
will fit and wear, and the longer keep its shape. Whip cords 
and roughish dark materials are preferable. Black cloth 
habits are best for the show ring and park riding. Khaki, 
duck, or crash habits are desirable for summer; they stand 
tubbing and are very smart and cool. The coats of these 
can be made either tight or loose fitting, as the wearer may 
desire. 

A black derby is the correct hat for winter use. A plain 
straw sailor for summer, and of late sombreros and plain felt 
continental hats have become quite popular. The hat should 
be large enough to set well down on the head, and be kept in 
place by a broad elastic. Hat pins should never be worn, they 
look badly and are dangerous in case of accident. 

The hair should be worn plainly, either braided and tied 
with a ribbon, or coiled securely at the neck. 

Riding boots, for comfort's sake worn a size larger than 
one's every-day shoes, should be of calf-skin or patent-leather; 



DRESS. 569 

to my mind the stiff or polo legged boot is best and smartest. 
With summer habits tan boots should be worn, or tan puttee 
leggings ; the boots, though, are always more comfortable than 
the leggings. Select your boots from a somewhat " man- 
nish " last, the very pointed toe and high narrow heel are no 
lonoer in voq;ue. 

Gloves should be heavy, hand sewn, with one or two 
clasps, and always worn a size or two larger than the size 
one ordinarily wears. 

The underclothes for riding should be as carefully con- 
sidered as the outer garments. The corset, or corset 
waist, should be loose enough for absolute comfort and 
freedom. Balbriggan drawers, such as boys wear, and 
socks are best. Stockings should not be used as they often 
wrinkle up and chafe, and elastics sometimes interfere with 
the circulation. 

Over the balbriggan drawers can be worn either eques- 
trian tights reaching to the ankle, or breeches. The breeches 
are made on the style of a man's riding breeches and of 
similar material ; but care should be taken that the buttons 
on the cuffs are on the inside of the right leg and the outside 
of the left leg. After the tights or breeches draw on the 
boots. 

Beneath the habit-coat should be worn some kind of 
shirtwaist, and for neckwear I recommend an ascot stock, 
fastened with an appropriate pin. The linen collar and 
necktie also look well, but lack the comfort and smartness 
of the stock. With the pinning of the stock one's under 
dressing is complete, and one is ready to don one's habit. 

A light polo whip, rattan or bamboo stick, is correct. 
All jewelry should be avoided. The jewelled whip passed 



570 DRIVING. 



away with the silk hat, the gauntlet glove, and the shot- 
weighted riding habit. 

A riding outfit complete, with the exception of the 
horse, can be bought for the cost of my lady's ball gown. 
The prices I quote are those asked by the leading people in 
their respective lines. 

Habit $85.00 to $100.00 

Breeches 1500 " 15.00 

Equestrian tights 1.50 " 2.00 

Boots 10.00 '• 15.00 

Hat 5.00 " 5.00 

Gloves 1.50 " 1.50 

One-half dozen stocks 3.00 " 3.00 

Underwear — socks, etc 5.00 " 5.00 

Saddle 100.00 " 125.00 

Bridle 10.00 " 15-00 

Total $236.00 " $286.50 

DRIVING. 

Women should drive in practically the same manner and 
form as men. Reference to chapter will give in detail the 
correct method. Still, a few extra hints may be of use. 

To begin with, women must be careful not to become 
exaggerated or pronounced in their style. While they drive 
in the same form as men, still, they must remember they 
are not men, nor need they obliterate all touch of the 
feminine from their appearance. Nothing to my mind can 
look worse than to see a woman affecting the mannerisms 
of a groom, perched on the edge of her seat, and even 
saluting her friends with her whip, as I have seen some 
women do. 



DRIVING. 571 

I prefer the square, almost level driving cushion to the 
very slanting one ; it is more comfortable, and gives a 
woman a better appearance. One should not sit on the 
edge of the seat, nor loll against the back of it ; but sit on 
it easily and comfortably, holding one's self erect and yet 
avoiding an appearance of stiffness. The legs should be 
well under one, not braced out in front. 

The proper carriage for a lady to drive herself, for park 
work or the show ring, is either a George IV. or Peter's 
phaeton ; and for morning or knockabout the basket phaeton 
or mornino^ carriaQre as it is sometimes called. Of course 
there are many kinds of small, low carts, buckboards, and 
runabouts that are very handy, but the ones I speak of 
are the most correct. 




CHAPTER XXII. 
RIDING FOR MEN. 

BY T. C. P. OF TORONTO. 
CHOICE OF A SADDLE HORSE. 

Your weight must more or less govern your choice of a 
horse to ride. But a fourteen-hands cob, if made right, and 
standing square on his legs, can carry a heavy man satis- 
factorily. It is a question of build rather than height, but 
a tall man looks best on a tall horse. A horse 15.3, if 
properly put together, is the best for general use. And 
now, when you have sufficiently indulged your own judg- 
ment, get a veterinary surgeon to examine him before you 
buy. 

As to age, a horse may be broken and ridden gently 
when he is three, a litde harder when he is four, and with 
some freedom at five ; but he must be six before you do 
really hard work with him. An immature animal will soon 
show signs of the machine having been too severely taxed. 
Therefore buy a six-year old when you can. He is over so 
many troubles that beset the earlier years of his life, and is 
at his best, if he has been judiciously used. 

The horse must be sound as a matter of course, but on 
that inexhaustible subject it is unnecessary here to speak 
at any length. Avoid delicate horses. Look out for the 
ordinary self-evident blemishes, as splints near the knee or 
near the tendons, spavins, blindness, ringbones, sidebones, 




MR. H. L. BUSSIGNY'S " PIERROT," WINNER OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP, 1901. 



BRIDLE, SADDLE, ETC. 573 

sand-cracks, etc. If he has interfered he is Hkely to do so 
again. If he shies persistently don't have him. If he lugs 
or bores down on the reins you won't enjoy him. If he 
kicks, other people will avoid you. A curb on the hind leg 
is unsightly and spoils his value, but is seldom a real detri- 
ment. Straight pasterns will jar you at every step. If he 
turns out a fore-foot or winds it in the delivery, his value is 
greatly affected. Avoid either a cow-hocked one, or one 
who sfoes with his hind les:s straddled. Take, care he has 
not a hip down. Look out for marks of speedy cut inside 
the cannon-bones, which should be short, for this also 
insures his hocks being well let down. Back him, in search 
of stringhalt, or turn him short. An incorrigible stumbler 
is, of course, a horse to be avoided, as is one that forges, 
cribs, balks, interferes, rears habitually, or displays inveterate 
vice. Improvement may be made in animals so afflicted, 
but they are not to be depended upon, and when riding is 
for pleasure it is better to let them go to the auction 
yard. 

BRIDLE, SADDLE, ETC. 

As to the bridle, the best to learn with is a plain snaffle 
with a single rein. The next step is to attach two reins to 
it. The plain snaffle is preferable to either a twisted or a 
double ringed one, because the novice cannot hurt the 
horse's mouth with it before he has learned the great lesson, 
that under no circumstances must he ever depend on the 
reins for the retention or recovery of his seat. It is the one 
great cardinal rule, of which hereafter. Later on, a bit and 
bridoon, double bridle, is the best. A Pelham is frequently 
used, but should only be in very good hands. 



574 BRIDLE, SADDLE, ETC. 

The bits should be so adjusted as scarcely to wrinkle 
the angle of the lips. They are generally too high in the 
mouth. You will keep his mouth sensitive, and his speed 
and ambition subject to your easy control, by never sub- 
jecting his mouth to unnecessary pressure and pull. The 
best mouth in the world can be hardened and spoiled by 
an ignorant, clumsy rider. 

The throat latch should never be tight. The curb chain 
should never pinch. 

A breast-plate is regarded by some people as setting 
off a horse ; and there are horses so shaped as to require 
one. You might say the same of a crupper ! But as a 
general thing don't use one more than the other unless you 
have found it to be required. The breaker may want a 
martingale, but should turn out his horse so that you do 
not. The Dutch martingale, consisting of two rings, joined 
by a strip of leather, and through which the reins pass, helps 
the control of a flighty, stargazing horse, and to keep his 
head where you want it; but a good mount needs no martin- 
gale. Spurs may be dispensed with till the rider knows his 
business thoroughly. In some emergencies they are more 
useful than any other stimulus, but are generally superfluous, 
if your hack is a good one. 

Never ride in a saddle too big for you. Nothing looks 
worse than a man who is all over the saddle, or who sits 
back on it as if in a chair. The English saddle should not 
be high, turned up, either at the pommel or the cantle, but 
as flat as is consistent with safety to the horse's back. The 
roll in front of your knees should be very small or dispensed 
with altogether. The stuffing of the saddle must be occa> 
sionally looked to, and worked over if lumpy or hard ; for a 



MOUNTING. o75 

sore back or a sit-fast is perhaps a very long job, and may 
throw a horse out of work for months, whether the trouble 
be on the withers or loin. 

The stirrups must not be wide enough to let your instep 
through or so narrow as to jam the foot. In either case 
a fall may mean being dragged and killed. 

As to girth, the best, except in very hot weather when 
split-leather is useful, is the Fitzwilliam. It sits best and is 
kept more conveniently and more readily adjusted than 
separate girths. Very tight girthing is objectionable, and 
when you have learned to ride by grip and balance combined 
it is wonderful how safely you can ride in a saddle quite 
loosely put on. But either extreme is wrong. 

MOUNTING. - 

Accustom your horse to stand still when you mount, and 
not to move till you allow him. This is very useful when 
you dismount for any reason out of doors. Pat and make 
much of him when he pleases you or obeys a lesson. There 
is no animal so susceptible of flattery and approbation. You 
can make him your friend by little presents of apple, carrot, 
biscuit, or sugar, when you visit his box. It all helps. 

If your horse's back, withers, and ribs be not so shaped as 
to carry a saddle naturally, get on from a mount, a stone, a 
chair, or the like. This is better than pulling your saddle 
over and out of place. If you have a groom holding your 
horse, it is better for him to stand in front of the horse than 
be pulling down your off stirrup as a set-off" to your weight 
mounting on the near side. Get up with your back slightly 
turned to the horse's head, and be careful not to stick your 
toe into his ribs. 



II 



576 SEAT. 

The length of stirrup, in the case of a young man for 
road riding, should be just enough for him to "post " at ease 
in the trot with the ball of his foot pressing the flat of the 
iron. There is, however, no actual objection to riding with 
the feet " home." This should carry his fork over the 
pommel, when he stands in the stirrups, as he may choose 
to do. Older men ride in a shorter stirrup, such as most 
men use all their lives for hunting and cross country work. 
Measure and remember your exact length of stirrup on your 
arm with the iron in your armpit, and have it right before 
you get up. At the same time remember the particular 
horse's shape may call for longer or shorter leathers than 
those which your own horse demands ; and therefore learn 
to take them up or let them down from your seat in the 
saddle. 

SEAT. 

Good hands and good seat are inseparable. You are not 
likely to have one without the other. You must not use 
the reins to keep your seat; your seat must be independent 
of the reins, but you must be sitting right to use the reins 
right. Seated on your crotch, down in the saddle, your 
knees turned in as much as is possible and held immovable 
at the grip, the leg below the knee should hang straight 
down loose, except for the tension required to keep the toe 
up and the heel down, and the foot straight with the line 
of direction. There should be no movement except from 
above the hips, where the small of the back should be a 
pivot, and every movement in unison with that of your 
horse, sitting naturally, neither in a slovenly attitude nor as 
stiff as a ramrod. There should be a slight inclination of 



HANDS, 517 

the head and shoulders forward. Never rise higher than 
you need to in the trot, and the better time you keep the 
better for both horse and rider. 

It is not possible for some men, born with a pelvis that 
does not accommodate itself to the seat I have sketched, to 
be pretty riders, but they acquire firm seats of a kind, and 
learn to balance themselves. These may and do cling to 
the saddle with the calf of the leg, but it is absolutely wrong, 
where avoidable, as it is by men with flat or hollow thighs. 
Such men should ride without spurs. The steadier a man 
is in the saddle, and the more he accommodates himself to 
the movements of his horse, and becomes, in fact, a balanced 
part of him, the less likely he is to give him a saddle sore 
either fore or aft. There is not the slightest need for 
either. Yet look at the number of horses with white patches 
on their backs ; saddle galls they are called ; they are really 
evidences of bad horsemanship. 

HANDS. 

The bridle is the means of communication between the 
horse and rider, and the voice is more effective than whip 
or spur. 

The snaffle and curb reins should not be held at the 
same length, and therefore tension, unless a horse is mis- 
behaving. A good rider will use the curb to "make" a 
horse, but after that process is over will very seldom find 
necessity for it. The snafifle rein should be divided by the 
third finoer of left hand, and the curb rein should be between 
the first and second fingers, and outside the little finger. 
Then turn over the fist with thumb on top; loosen the curb 
rein an inch or two ; then grasp the bunch with clenched 



578 ON THE ROAD. 

fist, and keep them as they are, re-inforcing the left by 
placing the right hand down in loop of the snafBe as oc- 
casion requires. Give and take with each step of the horse. 
Hold your reins very tight in your fist, but so move your 
fist that you only feel the horse's mouth. You will always 
save your horse in case of stumble, if he cannot pull the 
reins through your fingers. It is immaterial in which hand 
you hold the reins, and you should practise with both. The 
reins should be held with the hands low, very little in front 
of, and close to, your body, with the knuckles out and the 
wrists bent slightly in. This, you will find, gives room for 
all necessary play. The elbows must be carried against the 
sides of the body. 

All communications to the horse should be made by the 
wrist. Insensibly you will find yourself so talking by tele- 
graph, to him all the time you are on his back. Nobody 
with a cast iron wrist can have good hands. Pliable, sensi- 
tive fingers, a supple wrist, and delicate touch are essential. 

ON THE ROAD. 

When out riding keep your eyes to the front. Watch 
for objects likely to alarm your horse. Sudden springs to 
the side are inevitable incidents in road riding, but the man 
who has his grip at the knee, and his balance from the loins, 
ready for instant change, is not moved, especially if on the 
look-out. A highly nervous horse cannot stand the noise of 
an empty coal-cart coming behind him at a trot, and an 
automobile will equally disconcert him. He must be kept 
in hand on these occasions, and made to face the music 
kindly but firmly. You should also see, and by turn of the 
wrist avoid, stones, roots, holes, hummocks, and things which 



ON THE ROAD. 579 

a horse may stumble over. Most horses are so busy watch- 
ing objects in the landscape (especially in strange places) 
with the view ot notmg and remembering what will assist 
them in finding their way back, that they fail to always 
watch their path. But the rider should never omit to do so. 
He should always be the one to place the horse to a nicety, 
exactly where he wants him to tread. 

Going over bad, uneven ground collect your horse, see 
that his legs are well under him, and then interfere with his 
head as little as you can. He will want it loose for bal- 
ancing himself. At the same time have all the reins so 
firm in the fist, thumb on top, that if he blunders you can 
help him. A sure-footed horse, who can see where he is 
stepping in addition to watching the country, and looking 
for objects of alarm, is a treasure. Some never place a foot 
wrong, others never miss an opportunity of doing so. You 
can rouse a horse to lift his knees and avoid inequalities 
of surface and stumbling-blocks of all kinds; but you are 
earning your passage, and your ride is not enjoyable. If a 
horse will lob along the side of a road taking all the inequali- 
ties as they come, shortening or lengthening his step to 
meet requirements, never get rid of him. 

It is not important to a man. with which foot a horse 
leads. A lady's horse must lead with the off foot. To effect 
this, draw his head a little to the near side, touching 
him with the whip on that side, and vice versa. A horse 
should never be turned, without first moving him a step 
forward. 

A good saddle horse goes up to the bit without pulling 
a pound on your hands, free but not troublesome. His trot 
must be square. If you find his action becoming mixed — 



580 ON THE ROAD. 

disunited — stop him. Riding in company is best deferred 
till you have taught your horse to go straight and well by 
himself. An experienced man once told me that it took 
two years to make a good hack. Perscverando must be the 
rider's motto ; and don't sicken and confuse the horse in an 
attempt to teach too much at any one time. 

A saddle horse should be told and forced to walk when 
that pace is desired, and not allowed to jog. A single word 
is the best method of instruction. " Over," " Back," " Whoa," 
"Walk," are indispensable. Diminutives of "Whoa" are 
applicable to a soothing or pacifying policy: " Who-oo-boy," 
and the like; but a decided "Whoa "should cause a horse 
to stop, not only to reduce his speed, but to stop dead. 
Many a life has been saved by a horse having been so 
taught. 

Accustom your horse to the frequent change of the whip, 
from one hand to the other, and to the laying it on him 
gently, and in a friendly way " all over." It will be useful 
in fly-time. You should always gently signal him before 
turning a corner, so that his mind is prepared and his body 
balanced for the move. 

In turning a horse use pressure of your leg behind the 
girth. This twists his head the right way. Nothing looks 
much worse than a man pulling round his horse's body by 
the rein. Bridle-wise horses are not of any use to people 
who have both hands at liberty. When you have the reins 
fast in your left fist, as I have described, and you want your 
horse to go to the right, move your fist to the left, and vice 
versa. You thereby shorten the rein on the side you wish 
to go, which presses the snafBe-ring on opposite side, and 
tells the horse the direction you wish him to take. There 



ON THE ROAD. 581 

is no need to help with the right hand. The natural incli- 
nation is precisely the opposite of this. 

Very little strength is required for the right management 
of a broken horse. A weak young girl can manage nearly 
any horse that has not been already spoiled by brutality. 
The minimum of force, and the maximum of art are required. 
In the minimum of resistance the maximum of art may 
lie. 

The secret of stopping a horse is beginning soon enough. 
You can nearly always feel that the horse is preparing for 
a bolt. He rounds his back, braces himself, straightens the 
reins, squirms, or gives other unmistakable signs of his 
intentions. Watch his ears. You must begin as soon as 
he does. If he once succeeds in getting out of your hands 
no man on earth can stop him till he chooses, but any man 
can stop him at the beginning. Talk to him then. Later 
on you will have to watch for a chance if he lifts his head up, 
and if you catch that right he may choose to stop. 

When you expect a horse to swerve, throw your body 
the way he will go. There is a natural inclination the other 
way. If taken quite unawares the retention of your seat will 
depend on the grip at the knee, and on your power to 
change your balance instantaneously. If a horse is given to 
bucking, he will do it at the start before you are warm in 
the saddle. Sit tight, and balance yourself; but he may last 
longer than you can. It is quite an exhausting process. 
I have seen a bad rearer treated both by pulling him over, 
and by breaking a bottle of cold water between his ears. 
Both plans are dangerous to the horse. As a general thing, 
when in trouble the inexperienced rider is apt to get forward 
towards his horse's neck. He had better lean back, for 



582 A FEW STABLE HINTS, 

except in case of rearing he will be in a better position to 
meet what may be coming. 

If you have to face a fall, double your head under your 
shoulders, and alight on the back of your shoulder if you 
can't pitch on your feet. Hang on to the reins unless your 
horse falls too. Then keep clear of him. He will not get 
up as quickly as you can if you are not hurt. If you are 
hurt, it does not matter where he goes. There is a great 
knack in falling. I may say that I have been riding all 
sorts of horses for over half a century, and have had number- 
less falls under all sorts of conditions, and I have never yet 
broken a limb. Sprains, bruises, cuts, and wounds must be 
taken as they come, and even broken collar bone. 

Do what he may, never lose your temper with him, or 
mess him about till he does n't know what you want, and 
you don't know yourself. His faculties become benumbed. 
He is aware that his rider is behaving unreasonably, and 
loses confidence in him. 

There are a thousand other things to know and to do ; 
but the trouble is, that when a man knows the majority of 
them, he is drawing very near the end of his riding days. 
Nothing, however, is so likely to lengthen his days as per- 
sistence in equestrian exercise. 

A FEW STABLE HINTS. 

If during your ride you put up at an inn where there are 
no pillar-reins, take off the bridle at once, for the horse will 
not lose a moment in rubbing it along the edge of the 
manger, to the detriment of covered buckles. Slide your 
stirrups up on the leathers, slacken the girths, and jerk the 
saddle up and down quickly for a minute or two, but don't 



DRESS, ETC. 583 

take the saddle off. Rack him up short enough to prevent 
rolling. 

If your horse goes lame, he will show you which foot is 
concerned by dropping his head and ear as the sound foot 
touches the sfround. The natural tendency is to think the 
opposite. You will often be told, when your horse show^s 
symptoms of lameness in front, that it is in the shoulder ; 
that is to say, when the cause is not obvious. In most cases 
the trouble is in the foot. In some cases it is from a verv 
small, incipient splint. Shoulder lameness is possible but 
extremely improbable where no known accident has occurred 
to cause it. The seat of lameness behind is seldom in the 
foot, but nearly always in the hock. 

If, owing to fatigue, bad shoeing, or other cause, your 
horse should brush a fetlock, don't use a leather boot with 
a strap and buckle, but tie on a Yorkshire boot made of a 
strip of blanket and turned down over the tape. 

Never expect hard work of your horse when he is shed- 
dinor his coat. He is as much out of sorts as a moultino^ 
canary. 

Much driving spoils a saddle horse, but not an occasional 
trip in the shafts. 

Don't let your horse's legs be washed. The feet may 
be, but not the legs. Let them dry, and brush off the 
dirt. 

DRESS, ETC. 

Busy men often say that the time taken to dress for 
riding is an obstacle to the practice. But for road-riding a 
gentleman cannot be too inconspicuously accoutred. He is 
not out as a sportsman, but merely for a ride. Remember 



584 DUESS, ETC. 

too that the horsiest man afoot is often the footiest man 
ahorse, and don't emulate him. The use of a wide double- 
buckled knee wrap of soft Russia leather enables you to ride 
in ordinary trousers, and with the " feel " that you are in 
leather breeches. They are put on in two minutes. The 
old fashioned strap under the instep is objectionable. 
Leggings, long gaiters or butcher boots, are orthodox, but 
your get-up cannot be too distinctive from that of the man 
going fox hunting. It may be deemed " horsey " to insist 
on proper terms in speaking of the horse, but all trades 
have their apposite phraseology. Thus, a horse has a near 
and off foot, a hind and fore foot. Right and left, and front, 
are quite inadmissible, and only used by persons who speak 
of " the dogs barking " when they refer to hounds giving 
tongue. Similarly, the word " ankle " applied to the horse is 
out of place, but very commonly used here to signify the 
fetlock joint. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 
HUNTERS AND HUNTING. 

By harry W. smith. 

A CLEAR, cool November morning after a day or two of 
rain ; a master who knows how to be stern as well as to be 
courteous ; a pack of hounds bubbling over with enthusiasm, 
kept back here and there by the whips, over anxious to 
prove not only that they can show individual work in cover, 
but that they can pack when once the fox breaks, hang 
when the scent is bad, and not over run when it is lost, ever 
watchful to turn like the needle to the magnet, when the 
honest hound gives tongue and says he has found the trail ; 
a well-bred hunter dropping his chin, yet snatching at the 
bit now and then, perfectly controllable, but longing for that 
first scurry when the master cries "gone away," — all these 
go to make up a combination that gentlemen of high and 
low degree in England have said for years it is impossible 
to beat. 

How little it takes to ruin the picture, and surely that 
which interests you most, and which you can make right or 
wrong, is the horse, which you choose as one of a number 
to carry you for the season. 

There are many who believe that it is wise to wait until 
August to pick up a mount to carry them in the fall, but 
the wise one will tell you as Hames, the Job Master of 
Leicester, said, " A good hunter has the hall-mark of sterling 
on him and is good value at any time." 

585 



586 HUNTERS AND BUNTING. 

Choose one with clear blue eyes, broad between the fore- 
head, with face neither dished nor carrying a Roman nose, 
expressive ears laying back to the nudge in the ribs, and 
pricking to the scurry of the rabbit in the brush ; a neck well 
cut out about the throttle, and long enough to give good 
length of rein, slightly arched and going into the shoulders 
at the proper angle ; oblique shoulders are better but do 
not insist on them ; withers that put the saddle back over 
the middle of the horse, and keep the girths away from 
the roll of the fore legs ; a middle piece deep through 
the heart, running back with well-sprung, far-down back 
ribs, the distance of a hand between the last rib and the 
point of hip ; hind legs so placed that the foot in passing 
gives the ankle at least an inch or two leeway; good dis- 
tance from point of hip to point of hock, and plenty of 
second thigh. Add to this a tail well set on, a mouth that 
gives and takes as you ask it, a brain that instead of trying 
to have its own way has faith in you and tries to carry out 
your desires. 

This is a perfect hunter and seldom in a lifetime do we 
find him. Buy him any time you see him, if you can afford 
to; if you pick him up in the spring hack him on the road ; 
find out if he is well bitted; if he is, half the battle is won ; 
if he is not, try this bit and that bit until you find the right 
one. As an English writer puts it, " There is a key to every 
horse's mouth." But it is sometimes hard to find, and until 
your mount drops his chin, arches his neck, crooks his back, 
gets his hind legs under him, he is not in a position to be 
perfectly controllable at all times. Work quietly, systemat- 
ically and pleasantly to achieve this one result ; try simple 
bits and if all fail go to the high port, but be sure then that 



HUNTERS AND HUNTING. 587 

your hands can touch the curb rein as softly as " My Lady " 
does the keys. 

Teach him to drop his neck to the curb rein Hke a polo 
pony, and without any warning be able to turn, take a stride, 
and jump either over the wall at the right or the left; dis- 
mount, walk up to the bar way, take down the two top bars 
leaving them about two feet, six inches, step over yourself, and 
lead him up until his knees rattle the top rail ; then pat him, 
stand him back a foot or two, and teach him to follow you 
over; it will not be long before you can ride him up in front 
of a four-foot jump, speak to him, and he will stand back, 
steady himself on his hocks, and pop over; by the way, look 
out that he does not pop you off ! 

Another day put on a plain snaffle with a big ring, a 
good hemp rope knotted around the neck, get in quietly 
behind an easy starting and smooth going cob, lead your 
hunter here and there, brush him up against the wheel so 
that he knows its' danger, and stop him once or twice so that 
he will know what will happen if an accident should occur. 
Then another day teach him to lead beside another horse, as 
there is nothing so undesirable as a mount that has to be 
ridden or led in some special way to the meet. 

Do not think because the new saddle you buy stands up 
over the withers for the width of your hand, that it is over- 
stuffed ; three or four months' riding will bring it down so 
that by fall you can put two fingers under nicely; the better 
the withers are the harder it will be to fit the saddle ; re- 
member the saddle can never be fitted by putting something 
on the withers to protect them ; the padding needs to be put 
along where the rib arch joins the backbone. 

Ride with a plain fiap if you can, and see that the lining 



588 HUNTERS AND HUNTING. 

on your saddle is kept clean and pliable ; a small stone in 
your shoe is about as pleasant as a hard dry spot in the 
linins: of the saddle on the back of a thorouofhbred. 

If you get him from Canada or Virginia do not put him 
in your stable and wonder that he is sick; rather put him in 
an open box, somewhere, where he can get God's fresh air 
and plenty of it, and accustom him slowly to the fact that 
he has got to breathe bad air two-thirds of the time, as most 
swell stables have bad air. Watch him eat, have his teeth 
looked over, both for the sake of his mastication and his 
bitting ; see that he is watered before his meals, and find 
out how often in a week he can stand a mash ; the oftener 
the better if he can stand the work until the hunting season 
commences. 

Have some one lead him, trot him away from you and 
then back towards you ; remember that possibly it is a little 
necessary for you to know how many ounces of iron you 
are tacking on that foot ; you would not care to waltz 
with a brogan on, neither attempt to go shooting with 
a patent-leather slipper. Treat him with every mark of 
respect as becomes a gentleman, and if he is sound and 
right you certainly will be prouder of him than any acquaint- 
ance you have. 

If he is a heavy-weight and you want to put him in 
wheel of four, by all means put him in. It did not hurt old 
" Justin Morgan " to out-pull all competitors at the country 
fairs in Vermont, and then out-trot them all over the half- 
mile tracks. The more you use him the more you know 
him and the more he knows you. The Arab Sheik and 
his Bird of the Desert are the sweetest combination of man 
and horse ; be as near like to them as you can. 



HUNTERS AND HUNTING. 589 

Some are sturdy, some are delicate, some need lots of 
work, and others do better just to be tightened up now and 
then to be kept in tune ; no hard and fast rules can be laid, 
study the horse as you would a problem, and success will be 
the result. 

When you once have him so that he relies on you, 
complies to your bidding, do not go across a field and think 
you will take that panel, then change your mind and start 
for another, and make him feel that you do' not know where 
you are at ; it is better to take a panel in a fairly bad place 
than have him think that your mind is unsettled. He loves 
to feel the leg and the long stirrup leather press against 
his side, the heel well back, the knee in the right place, and 
consequently the weight in the middle of his back, the hands 
low on the withers holding the snaffle firmly, with the finger 
just touching the curb to let him know what might happen 
if he did not behave, but more than all he likes to feel 
that irrepressible enthusiasm and strong " I will," not that 
" Perhaps I can," or " Perhaps I had better pull up and see 
how so and so does it." He has just as much pride in being 
first over as he has in knowing that nothing can daunt 
him. 

Just take a refuser that has been spoiled by bad hands 
or a faint heart, put the right man on him and notice the 
transformation ; every bad quality disappears like night 
before the sun, his heart expands, his brain expands, he 
stands firm on his legs, his nostrils grow larger, and he 
looks at other horses as much as to say, " Now 1 am with 
you, this is the first time I have ever had a chance." He 
may refuse at awkward places, but with a few days' confidence, 
the combination of two bold hearts is bound to succeed. 



590 HUNTERS AND HUNTING. 

Oh, the pity of it. England with its numberless hunts 
on a small Island, America with its few hunts scattered here 
and there, and principally drags on account of the impossi- 
bility of following the live fox into woods, swamps, and over 
stony country. What America lacks more than all is the 
interchange of horse, man, and hospitality, and this latter is 
almost impossible on account of the distances. 

Hunt drag-hounds in Massachusetts if you have to, teach 
your horse that the safest way is to go up quietly, steady 
himself, see what is on the other side, and then jump. No 
matter how well you know the country it is more or less 
unsafe to do otherwise, as some one might have knocked a 
rock off the wall and it stays where you want to land. Of 
course your old true and tried hunter has each leg under 
as good control as a High School Horse, and if a rock 
happens to be in the wrong place, he will light on the other 
foot just as though it was his original intention. 

" Come, I will show you a country with acres of woodland 
and oceans of grass." But in America there are only possibly 
two or three such countries. Genesee Valley is ideal, and 
even if the season is dry and you only get a run or two, a 
few weeks spent in the most glorious country you ever saw 
will not be lost. Here the wall is the exception as there are 
only one or two in the ten miles up and down the valley ; 
rail fences and now and then a slat wire fence are the prin- 
cipal obstacles. This sort of fence, and the fact that it is 
principally a grazing country, makes the take off and the 
landing perfect; both you and your mount can see just 
exactly what is on the other side, and there is no reason for 
you to pull up. 

Sit close, let him gallop strong, and instead of teaching 



HUNTERS AND HUNTING. 591 

the horse to go carefully at his fences, let him learn to be 
bold, taking off at least a stride away, and landing a stride 
beyond the far side. It requires a little lighter hand and a 
little more confidence, but he is soon with you if you give 
him a chance; even if you are just from some drag stone- 
wall country where you had to be careful, you will find that 
after he has steadied himself at one or two fences and jacked 
over them, so to speak, he begins to comprehend the situa- 
tion as well as you do, and within a day or two stands off 
as well as the rest, and you would hardly believe you had 
the same horse ; but many a time you get into a corner or 
narrow lane, when you will find that the careful work that 
you put in to make him clever at home works perfectly. 
The Genesee Valley season lasts from October i until after 
Thanksgiving, and on good days through the winter. 

The Hunts in and about Philadelphia, including the 
Radnor, Rose Tree and others, open about November i, 
and run through the winter; rain or shine, soft or frost, is 
the way they go, and surely it is not a bad one, and if you 
talk with any of the men who go strong in this country you 
will find that their objections to jumping good horses on 
frozen ground are few and far between. 

The fences are all that a game man might desire ; four 
feet, post and rail, not old weather-beaten fences such as 
you find in some countries ready to topple over when you 
hit them, but good vigorous fences that if you hit you stop 
then and there. If you go to this country take one or two 
that you can depend on absolutely, as the country has got 
to be jumped clean if at all. 

What will impress you most if you have been hunting 
where there is only one pack is the fact that in and about 



592 HUNTERS AND HUNTING. 

Radnor, Media, and Lima there are more fox hunters than 
you ever saw before. You are liable to be following your 
own pack, when another pack, carrying their fox along on 
the other side of the hill, will be heard, and time and time 
again two and three packs join in after the same fox. Hunt- 
ing in this country, you have to be especially careful about 
the roads as they are principally macadam, and, cut as they 
are through the country, you may take a drop of six to eight 
feet. There is no country that reminds you more of England 
than this country, and any one interested in hunting from 
a sporting point of view should surely work in a season. 

Going further south we find the Green Spring Valley 
Hunt near Baltimore; here are stiff post and rail, and the 
country is no doubt hunted in the most sportsman-like way 
of any Hunt in America. Good sport is given always when 
it is possible, and when one goes home from a bad day you 
may be sure that the master did his best. 

In Virginia the fox has been hunted from time immemo- 
rial, and up to within the past few years the method among 
the farmers and the natives was to start their hounds, go 
to an adjoining hill-top, wait until the fox was carried by, 
then chase along the road to the next stand, and in this way 
they were able to know which hounds were doing the work, 
acquaint themselves with the runs of the different foxes, 
and have all the pleasure out of the game, except just the 
pleasure that the average follower of the hounds wants, 
namely, the jumping. 

To Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and the other southern 
States, a debt of gratitude is owed, for there the southern 
black-and-tan hounds have been fostered for generations. 
It is just their method of hunting that has made the breed- 



HUNTERS AND HUNTING. 593 

ing a success, as their whole desire has been to breed only 
the best, and to the hound who started his fox, followed him 
from morning to night, was first to pass each stand on 
the run-way, giving good tongue, was the prize of honor 
awarded. 

Did you ever see them ? If their ears were properly 
trimmed and set up you would believe them a pack of large 
black-and-tan terriers, except that their tails are carried a 
little over their backs, tucked up in the flank like a grey- 
hound, as different from an English foxhound, as a Field 
Trial Pointer of the South is from the Bench Show Pointer 
of the North. Tongue they have, plenty of it and more too, 
and it takes an expert almost to determine whether they 
really mean business or are just playing; but the fact remains 
that they are the only strain that can take an American red 
fox at dawn, run him all day, and night if necessary. 

The Virginia country is a combination of rail fences and 
stone walls ; not the large stones which you find in the 
North, but much smaller, so much so that often plugs of 
wood have to be put in the w^all to make the stone balance 
and lay level. This makes it pleasant for your green mount's 
knees as he can push them over without so much injury 
to himself. 

Now that hunting is becoming more popular, and more 
men have time for its pursuit, there is no doubt that some 
of the hunts in the North will arrange to have not only their 
northern country, but a southern country, where they can 
go and enjoy sport through the winter months. October 
and November are altogether too short, and when the com- 
bination of huntsman and servant, horse and hound, is once 
established it can be easily moved here and there. 



594 HUNTERS AND BUNTING. 

Pick up one or two clean bred ones and go and try a 
fortnight with the Piedmont Hunt; a better country you 
never rode over, and you and your mount will have to be 
better than the best to stay with Dulany's black-and-tans 
when they break from beside Goose Creek, and follow a 
stiff-necked one to the mountains twelve or fifteen miles 
away. 

But with the best hounds, the best horses, foxes galore, 
there is just one thing absolutely necessary, namely, damp- 
ness, and dampness is just w^hat America lacks. You cannot 
expect the hound to follow the trail of a fox in a season 
when it is impossible for a pointer to trail and locate a covey 
of quail unless he jumps on them, and the average fall 
weather in America is unfortunately dry. 

Remember as you are so your horse is ; whereas you can 
tell some men's characters by their writing, some can be 
better told by their riding. A coward heart, a coward horse; 
a game heart, a game horse. Trust him and he respects 
you ; and nothing is so necessary in sport, life, or pleasure, 
as that same respect that horse and rider learn to feel for 
each other. 




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CHAPTER XXIV. 
EXHIBITING. 

By FRANCIS M. WARE. 

To the ambitious neophyte horse-shows afford field for 
exploitation along three lines : the sporting, the social, and 
the business. As presumably of most interest, the first 
will be the only aspect considered, but, in a way, the three 
are interdependent, and, so far as the social consideration 
figures, it is the inevitable result that acquaintanceship at 
least is greatly augmented. 

Even in Juvenal's time, the witchery inseparable from 
handling horses obtained due recognition from eager youth 
as : — 

" Sunt quos curriculo pulverem Olympicum 
Collegisse juvat, metaque fervidis 
Evitata rotis, palmaque ..." 

Possessed of such aspirations, how shall the tyro best 
tempt fortune? in what connections? and with what varieties 
of the animal? To what depths may disaster plunge, or to 
what pinnacles may success elevate him? Deterred by un- 
known hazards, many an amateur hesitates, and finally re- 
treats; fearing perhaps not so much "the slings and arrows 
of outrageous fortune," as the jeers and jibes of rivals and 
of friends. He who goes boldly on prepared for loss, and 
delighted with consequently unexpected gain, possesses the 
true sporting instinct ; and in him we find the most con- 
sistently enthusiastic supporter of the only four out-door 

595 



596 EXHIBITING. 

amusements as yet not seriously tainted witli the savor of 
professionalism, — these being golf, yachting, polo, and horse- 
shows ; all of which, broadly speaking, insure a losing bal- 
ance-sheet to every participant, the emblem of victory and 
its usually petty accompaniment of hard cash (or other 
token) being dearly won. 

If the novice has no predilection for any special branch 
of the undertaking — harness, saddle, hunting or breeding — 
he will find that, of all divisions, the pony classes (in all 
heights) ofifer the best chances of success. The original 
investment required is not large, the possible returns more 
proportionate to outlay, all expenses of keep, etc., very 
small, and the field exceptionally open ; wonderfully so, all 
advantages considered. While true to-day, this will not long 
obtain, and in the pony the enthusiast finds his golden 
opportunity; for there is an unquestionably brilliant future 
before these little creatures, and no efforts are making to 
anticipate it. The scarcity of larger horses of acceptable 
merit is about to force the pony, for purposes of business as 
for pleasure, into a position which he has never yet remotely 
approached, and which it would be impossible for him to 
attain (in America) but for the curious periods of depression 
and elation, abundance and depletion, which have marked, 
since 1895, ^^ career of the native horse of larger growth. 

To insure official recognition the exhibit must be true 
to the accepted type for that purpose, and nothing but dis- 
criminating observation and comparison of living animals 
will, in this respect, equip the tyro; nor must his study be 
confined to horses so conditioned as to deceive the eye as 
to their proportions, or many a jewel in the rough will 
escape his notice ; for flesh, like charity, covers a multitude 



EXHIBITING. 597 

of (physical) sins, always of omission. Accurate photo- 
graphs are a slight help, but all individuality is, in them, 
generally lacking. Comparison with imperfect specimens 
should also be carefully made, and that true eye cultivated 
which becomes finally mechanical. Women, with their 
usual fine sense of proportion and harmony of outline, are 
astoundingly accurate in their decisions, and should, long 
since, have graced with their presence, in judicial capacity, 
our show rings. Judges differ, of course, and the accepted 
here is rejected there, but this does not affect the necessity,, 
as an initial factor, of true type. 

Show circuits are not as consecutive in arrangement as 
they might be, and the vitally necessary Association of 
Horse Shows (if it is ever formed) can competently arrange 
these details to the ensuing benefit alike of exhibitions and 
exhibitors. 

Catalogue conditions should be carefully studied, and 
entries adapted to the classes apparendy suitable. It is 
rarely -advisable to enter horses in events which may be 
unsuited to their abilities, for once enrolled in the lists, it 
is but human to begin to make excuses for shortcomings, 
etc., and one may finally deceive himself into the belief that 
his gig-horse type is really a runabout horse, and grieve 
bitterly over the decision which shows him that he should 
have remained in his proper class. Ability in " placing " an 
entry is most essential in showing, as in racing. Send 
entries early, and thus help, by your prompt patronage, all 
interests. 

Assumed that the horse is in the bodily condition that he 
must be to figure as an aspirant, he will travel to the show 
by express if distant, by freight or road if near by. Per- 



598 EXHIBITING. 

sonally it has always seemed best to go over the road if a 
matter of thirty miles or less. Horses take no harm, and 
are saved the shipping risks always impending; the expense 
is less, while time is of little consequence. The heavy 
shoes, if worn, should be most carefully fitted, and always 
used at least a few times before showing. Much grief has 
been caused by neglecting such precautions, or by finding 
collar too small, check the wrong length, back-strap too 
short, brow-band narrow, etc., on entering the arena. Balk- 
ing, kicking, " making a noise," etc., in the ring are fre- 
quently caused by lack of attention to these details. A 
pair will sometimes be coupled wrong also, and new and 
slippery reins and gloves have more than once afforded a 
combination that has resulted in disaster. 

Of course a competent and trustworthy man will be in 
charge of show horses, and if he is that, he will properly 
care for them en route, and on arrival. Change of water 
may make slight trouble, and if the horse is used to " soft 
water" care should be taken that he is so provided, and that 
the hard variety is softened for him ; but, in his robust 
health, there is little to fear from such changes. Show 
buildings are apt to be draughty and ill-ventilated, and 
animals should b.e kept well covered and protected. 

Stimulants and *' soothing syrups " are more frequently 
used than the general public believes, but rarely do any good. 
While generally condemned, it is not certain that this prac- 
tice is always reprehensible, for a drink of whiskey or sherry 
to a faint-hearted brute may make all the difference between 
defeat and victory. Incidents have occurred in nearly all our 
show rings directly traceable to " dope " and drugs. No nov- 
ice should use any such thing, no decent man will use drugs ; 



EXHIBITING. 599 

still, a cowardly jumper, for instance, may prove a lion with 
a cocktail or two under his girths, and in default of legislation, 
where and how are we to draw the line? 

" Burrs " are never — or should never — be allowed in the 
arena. They are useful and not necessarily cruel appliances 
in themselves, but proof that the wearer is apt to lunge, 
bore, drive on one rein, or play the fool in some way that 
effectually extinguishes his show chances. 

Port bits should be condemned, and are seldom used. 
Tight bearing-reins are just now a fad, but like everything 
we do, we have run to extremes, and our horses* backbones 
fairly creak so extreme is the elevation, while if thus hampered 
it is simply impossible for them to " use their hocks," etc., as 
they should. The matter of shoeing is different with each 
subject. Some need weight in heel, some in toe ; some 
very long toes all round, some long only in front, etc. 
Experiment and observation will show what is needful, and 
there are no hard and fast rules to apply. For hacks and 
hunters, tips properly applied have always given the writer 
best satisfaction. 

A show horse needs little or no exercise beyond leading in 
hand for an hour daily. Everything depends upon his being 
fresh and "above himself." Very rarely will his exertions in 
the arena call for any genuine "condition" to carry him 
through, and the average horse needs every ounce of flesh 
he can carry to smooth over his bodily irregularities and 
help his "conformation." One cannot keep show horses in 
show form and use them also, and to that the mind must be 
made up from the start. 

If the neophyte would court much vexation of spirit, 
or if he yearns to tempt Fortune to the very limit, he may, if 



600 DRIVING CLASSES— THE HEAVY HARNESS HORSE. 

his bank account allows, disport himself in the appointment 
classes. These displays are highly edifying, most picturesque 
both in detail and ensemble, and a valuable object lesson. 
To be successful, one must rank, not as a mere showman, 
but as a genius, one who possesses the quality aptly defined 
as " capacity for taking infinite pains." Such details have 
been carried to absurd length in the past, and while the 
latter-day judges appear more lenient, they do not noticeably 
arrive at more consistent conclusions now than of yore. So 
well are the essentials nowadays understood that practically 
all equipages shown are appropriately appointed. Some little 
fad may be noticeable, an occasional immaterial mistake 
may be made ; but these departures from the correct are as 
infrequent as they are inconsequential. The percentages 
allowed for vehicle, etc., are disproportionate. Where all 
equipages are correct, such accounts must balance, and 
the classes are practically decided upon the merits of the 
horses. Were there any accepted standards, like those 
adopted by the Coaching Club for park and road coaches, 
matters would adjust themselves, but when the personal 
caprice of three individuals, not one of whom may be an 
authority, decides, confusion reigns, and the game emphat- 
ically is not worth the candle, at least for the beginner or the 
man of moderate means. 

DRIVING CLASSES. 

THE HEAVY HARNESS HORSE. 

The first cost of a heavy harness animal, really fit to show, 
is very large, his equipment extremely expensive ; and while, 
if one of the elect, he may prevent heavy deficit, or even earn 



THE HEAVY HARNESS HORSE. 601 

profits, the chances are all against it. Freight and express 
charges for such an outfit run to large figures, to be further 
augmented if the owner intrust the conditioning and show- 
ing of his steeds to professional hands, thereby depending 
upon others for what he may, at least expense, learn to do 
equally well himself, hugely profiting by his own mistakes. 

The old methods of laying down rails at intervals for the 
horse to trot over, etc., the using wet clay beds, corn stalks, 
shallow water, deep snow, etc., for exercise, increase action 
at the time, but the effect rarely, or never, lasts. If a cord is 
run through the horse's mouth, through the check-loops and 
back under tail (like a crupper), and used as a check, the hock 
action may be helped ; and if his exercise (always for a few 
minutes only) is given him, short and sharp, and thus rigged, 
it may assist matters. If several pounds of lead are placed 
on the feet of a common horse (this will not answer if intel- 
ligent) and he is led about at a walk with it, and then trotted 
(without the lead), he will go very high for a few moments. 
To continue the high action, however, the whole balance and 
poise must be changed — a matter for hands and head to 
insure. Given any animal of suitable conformation, may his 
action be improved to horse show grade .-^ This is so purely 
a matter of individual adaptability, balance, activity, etc., that 
no absolute laws can be laid down, or it would be all too 
easy. It can only be afifirmed that where one animal im- 
proves steadily, an hundred will fail to advance, to show 
" form," be processes what they may. 

Restrained speed, that in which the shoulder plays an im- 
portant part, affords the most brilliant action ; for if a horse, 
by sharp bitting, etc., cannot goon he may go up, and if he gets 
the idea, and the possibly needful heel-or-toe-weight assistance, 



602 SHOW RING DRIVING. 

he may become most brilliant. One can never prophesy, 
however, and while one horse steps high in two lessons, 
another, equally promising, will not in two years. 

If at an indoor show and your horse is wearing a very 
stiff check, bear him up for a while before " putting to," that 
he may give to it, and supple his neck before you " gag " 
him up hard — mercilessly, as it is often done — else he may 
throw himself, or enter the ring plunging, or even balk, all of 
which may count against him heavily. 

The light harness roadster neither receives, nor responds 
to, general recognition in the show ring; although he, of 
all others, represents the national type. Our arenas are 
too contracted to allow of speed display; such ability is too 
generously considered ; these horses are never trained for 
exhibition, and their performance is not sensational, nor 
attractive to the attendance. Amateur driving clubs are 
now forming throughout America, and it is for them to 
see to it that this characteristically American horse receives 
the recognition and the opportunity for suitable exhibition 
he deserves. No classes are, to the foreigner especially, so 
interestingly typical. 

SHOW RING DRIVING. 

First impressions go a long way with judges, and if your 
horse enters the ring smartly, but bending himself well and 
showing good deportment, you are sure of consideration at 
least. 

Once inside, take every advantage of the arena's length ; 
keep close to the rail all the way round ; nor be deluded 
by racing or over-driving competitors into doing anything 
else. This habit is easily formed, and gives every inch 



SHOW RING DRIVING. 603 

there is of straight going, insures the horse being straight 
himself, and allows him the hard footinor where others' 
wheels have run, instead of the deep and cuppy surface 
where other horses have trod. A horse may thus be eased 
upon the turns, giving him that long breath or two by which 
he will profit then or later. Until the "weeding out" 
begins it will probably be best to make just " show " enough 
to attract official attention, and prevent rejection via the 
*'gate." Perhaps once, if the judges are looking, it will be 
well to " pull him together" and let him parade; but do not 
do too much ; nor fear lest competent judges be not im- 
pressed favorably by such moderation. A park pace, horse 
steady and going level (no hopping or skiving), head and 
all in the right place, etc., — if " turned down " now, that 
fate was impending, anyway. 

Once called in to line up among those reserved for future 
inspection, come slowly into line, and, if your horse is handy 
(and the judges are looking), go a length or two beyond the 
line, and then quietly back into position, that they may 
be early impressed with the horse's handiness (very helpful 
also in case he makes some subsequent " bad break " ). Now 
is the chance to rest, and let the horse's head down, if 
possible, while the others are being called in ; do not let 
him stand " in his collar," but ease him every way possible. 
When the oflficials come down the line, make your charge 
"stand out "and show himself; keep him square on his legs, 
and take any advantage possible, from any restiveness dis- 
played by competitors, to prove that your horse at least 
stands still, does not " hog " on his check, nor plunge and 
rear, nor lie down. 

When again called out, if your animal bears comparison 



604 SHOW RING DRIVING. 

favorably, try and be quick enough to lead off, and turn the 
way your horse shows best, as each has some preference in 
this connection. By getting in front, the pace may be 
regulated to suit your charge and to annoy some other. 
If his best display calls for pace, go along with him until the 
judges interfere; if he is better at a slow gait, hold him to 
what he can do, square and true. Be doubly careful now to 
go into all the corners and close to the fence, for, even if 
you are out-speeded, the critics always allow for the fact 
that you are going the longest way round, and they can't 
tell just what handicap that amounts to, whereas, should the 
tracks of competitors be followed, and ground still be lost, 
any one can see just how much you are "shy" on pace. 
Should a dangerous rival essay to pass you on a turn, take 
your horse back, quick, and smooth, just as he is overtaken ; 
he would get the worst of it, anyway, and that instant's 
relief may yet pull him through. 

Condemnation escaped, and a third parade ordered, it is 
"do or die." "Go after" your horse for all he has, and 
whatever you both can do, show it now. Get behind the 
most dangerous contestant if you can, and stay there, never 
passing him except just at the very last (if your pace is as 
good, or better, than his). You can thus see and avail 
your charge of any " easy " your rival attempts. Keep a 
little inside him, for now it will be well to cut corners. 
Should you suffer from comparison, get as far away as 
possible from dangerous opponents, and make as good a 
show as you can manage. It will be difficult to keep away 
if any one fears you, but you should try, anyhow. 



SADDLE HORSES. 605 



SADDLE HORSES. 



More expensive than the hunter, he has not to recom- 
mend him so proportionately Hberal an earning capacity ; 
nor can he successfully compete if he bear the various 
blemishes which may not in any way detract from the value, 
as a show proposition, of a hunter or jumper. Exhibitions, 
as a rule, do not afford to the saddle horse more than one or 
two opportunities at each re-union to compete, whereas the 
hunter may probably disport himself several times. This 
discrimination has always seemed unwise, and results in the 
campaigning of but few saddle animals. 

When showing a saddle horse, enter the ring at a walk 
if he goes that pace as a real hack should (if not, try to 
conceal it by various caracoles, etc.). First or last places 
are always the best, because the judges are generally watch- 
ing the entrance, and a really first-class, nimble walker is 
a desperately hard horse to forget. Be they ever so im- 
pressed, however, with the leader, the authorities are looking 
for something as good, or better, than he appears, and the 
last to enter has a grand chance to make further impression, 
especially if it can be managed that your " next-ahead " 
gets several lengths in the lead ; for your performance, as 
you stride briskly up to, and possibly past him, will be 
appreciated. Lead, at the canter, should be changed in 
"straight going" (if the horses will do it nicely), without the 
judges' orders, and will have great effect in proving handiness 
and manners. At the trot, stick to a fair road pace — what 
your mount can do collectively and evenly — and never 
mind who passes you. Judges want a fair saddle-horse 
display, and of course preliminary instruction has taught 



606 HUNTERS. 

yours to stand still, to back freely, to side-step, and to 
stand for mounting, etc., with head quite loose. Make the 
animal bend and show himself when judges are near. 

HUNTERS. 

The hunter may be considered the most profitable show 
horse for the reasons that the raw material is generally 
cheap, and may develop into an animal of great value for 
both show and sale purposes ; that premiums for this variety 
are always numerous, and of fair amount ; and that travelling 
expenses as with saddle-horses, are small, since no vehicles 
are transported. 

There is little to say concerning hunters. Performances 
over fences is the only point at which you can assist, and 
you can best do that by sitting perfectly still, going along 
at a fair hunting pace all the way, since the average jumper 
does better if not interfered with between fences, and judges 
prefer such a style. In fact it might well be ruled that all 
contestants must cover the course in a certain time. This 
would allow for a refusal or two, but would insure a fair 
pace, and reach definite and intelligent results more quickly, 
putting the rushers and refusers on the shelf where they 
belong. 

If a hunter is entered in several classes, and the ground 
(as usual) is very hard, care must be taken that shoulders 
and loins are well massaged with alcohol, etc., to prevent 
soreness. A horse should always be ridden about before 
enterino^ the arena to " sfet him on his feet." Horses are 
mounted in the ring, and taken at their fences instantly, 
and, of course, jump badly. Long trots and canters up steep 
hills are the best preliminary if the animal already knows 



HUNTERS. 



607 



his business, and he will prove the more keen, and jump 
the cleaner, if he has not been schooled to death just before- 
hand. If he is raw and green, of course he must be re- 
hearsed ; and this should be done at such fences as the 
shows usually provide : always stiff, and at constantly 
ying heights, that the eye may be educated, 
and that he may learn to estimate for himself, 
and not fall into the habit of always mak- 
ing about so much exertion — a mechan- 
ical style which makes many slovenly 
performers. 





ONE HORSE RUNNING RECORDS. 



609 



DiSTAN'CE. 


Time. 

D. 11. M. S. 


Year. 


Country. 


I Mile . 
4 Miles 
ID " 

20 " 

22>^ " . 

66 '• . 
no " 

198 " . 

300 " . 
420 " 












(1 


• • I 35^ 

• • 1 15^ 
. . 32 ... 

• • 54 • ■ . 

• • 59 30 
6 

17 30 ... 

40 35 • • • 

64 20 ... 


1890 
1831 
1824 
1792 
1766 
1836 
1783 
1773 
1754 
1781 


United States of America 
United States of America 

England 

England 

England 

England 

England 

England 

-. England 

England 



RIDING RECORDS. 



Distance. 



13 Mil 

15 " 

50 " 

55 " 

71 " 

90 " 

95 " 

127 " 

140 " 

172 " 

200 " 

213 " 

2900 " 



(Trotting) 
(10 Horses) . 
(Num. Horses) 



(S Horses) . 
(13 Horses) . . 
(10 Horses) . 
(Num. Horses) 
(14 Horses) . . 
(28 Horses) . 
(21 Horses) . 
(21 Horses) . 



Time. 

H. M. 



50 



1 49 17 

2 55 • • 
49 56 
53 31 

7 

-5 
34 

• ■ 8 39 

• II ZZ 52 
29 (consecutive) 



Year. 



1878 

1759 
1819 

1745 
1824 
1826 
1791 
i8oi 
1802 
1831 

1745 
1761 



Country. 



England 
England 
England 
England 
England 
England 
England 
England 
England 
England 
England 
England 
England 



DRIVING RECORDS. 



Distance. 



I Mile 
4 Miles 

15 " 

19 " 

20 " 



29 

50 

52 

60 

66 

roc 

176 

1000 



Number 

OF 

Horses. 



Several 
I 

4 

Several 

Several 
Several 
Several 
Several 

I 
Several 



Time. 
I). H. M. s. 



56 



'9 



I 49 

3 28 

5 30 

4 50 

6 . . 
II 21 
16 30 



Vehicle. 



Sulky 
Coach 



4 Wheeled 



Cbach 

"Quicksilver" 
Coach 

Coach 



Year. 



1777 
1750 
1 891 



1891 
1S36 
1810 



1S91 



Country. 



United States of America 

England 

England 

England 

. . . . . . England 



England 
England 
England 
England 
England 



In many instances these records cannot be verified. 



INDEX. 



Accommodations for servants, 60. 
Action, 109. 
Advertisements 

of horses, 148. 

for servants, 328. 
Age of horse, means of determin- 
ing, 114. 
x\lR, 28. 
Aloes, 

Barbadoes, 454. 

on bedding, 416. 
Anchor-draught, 183. 
Anchor, ball and ring draught. 

183. 
Anus, 105. 

Antispasmodics, 534. 
Applications 

for sore back, 512. 

for sore shoulders, 511. 

for strained tendons, 435. 
Appointments, 

Carriages, 86. 

Harness, 202. 

Livery, 340. 
Aprons, 288. 

Care of, 529. 

Cost, 312. 
Ashleigh bit, 256, 260. 
Aspect of stables, 32. 
Atmosphere, its effect on the 

horse, 28. 
Auction sales 

of carriages, 75. 

of horses, 150. 



Axles, 67, 

Care of, 518. 
Axle-arm, bed, box and tree 67, 
68. 

Axle oil, 520. 

Back, horse's, 100, 104. 
Back strap, 187. 
Badges, 13. 
Balance 

of carriages, 73. 

of horses, no. 
Baled 

hay, 395. 

straw, 416. 
Balkiness, 117. 
Ball, 454. 

Balling of the feet, 451. 
Bandages, 432. 

Care of, 386. 437. 

Chamois, 435. 

Cost, 20. 

Flannel, 433. 

Linen, 434. 

Lotions, 435. 

Method of applying, 436. 

Straw, 435. 

Use of, 432. 

Woollen, 435. 
Bandeau, 16. 
Barbadoes aloes, 454. 
Barouche, 

Cost and weight, 85. 



611 



612 



BAROUCHE —BODY. 



Barouche, 

Horse, 131. 
"Barrel," 104. 
Bars, 

Lead, main and splinter, 91, 
96, 501. 

of foot, 108, 445. 

of the mouth, 115. 

of saddle, 218, 219. 

Tandem, 499. 
Basket phaeton, cost and weight, 

85- 
Bay, 113. 
Beans, 404. 
Bearing-rein, 

Drop, 169, 170. 

Drop-strap, 169. 

'Hook, 186. 

Plain and full, 176. 

Post, 186. 

Use of, 485. 
Bedding, 

Chap. XV, 411. 

Arranging, 414. 

Leaves, 413. 

Peat moss, 412. 

Purchase, 416. 

Sawdust, 413. 

Shavings, 412. 

Straw, 412, 413. 

Turf, 413. 

Weights and measures, 417. 
Beeswax, 523. 

Use of, 523. 
Belly, horse's, 100. 
Billets, 195. 
Bills, 24. 
Bins, grain, 59. 
Biting, 

Crib, 117. 

Vicious, 117. 



Bits, 

Chap. X, 249. 

Adjusting, 484. 

Bridoon, 262, 271. 

Care of, 521. 

Cheek-pieces, 253, 254. 

Choice of, 255. 

Curb, 254, 255. 

Driving, 259-263. 

Fitting, 249, 255. 

Mouth-pieces, 250. 

Parts of, 250. 

Riding, 267. 
Bitting, 481. 
Black horse, 112, 113. 
Blacking for boots, 20. 
Blankets, 

Chap. XI, 291. 

Care of, 385. 

Cost, 312. 

Dress, 291. 

Exercising, 297. 

Fitting, 291. 

Quarter, 291. 

Stable, 295. 

Use of, 419. 
Blanketing, Chap. XVI, 418. 
Blaze, 114. 

Blemishes and defects, 116. 
Blinders (see Winkers). 
Blindness, 117. 
Blinkers (see Winkers). 
Blistering, 538. 
Body, horse's, 100, 104. 
Body-brush, 

Care of, 387. 

Cost, 20. 

Use of, 427. 
Body-building, 72. 
Body coats, 

Coachman's, 342, 

Care of, 527. 



BODY— BRUSH. 



613 



Body coats, 

Cost, 356. 

Groom's, 343. 
Bolting 

the food, 411. 

Shying, 117. 
Boots, 

Cost of servants', 356. 

for horses, 306. 

for servants, 350. 

Rubber boots, 20. 
Boot-brushes, 20. 
Boot-tops, 350. 

Cost, 356. 
Boot-top brushes, cost, 20. 
Boot-top powder, 

Cost, 21. 

Use of, 529. 
Boot-top stain, 

Cost, 21. 

Use of, 529. 
Boot-trees, 

Cost, 356. 

Use of, 529. 
Bots, 476. 
Box-coats, 352. 
Boxes, loose, 51. 
Boys, stable, 327. 
Braid 

for livery, 344. 

for mats, 381. 

for pillikins, 383. 
Bran, 401. 

Cost, 21, 401. 
Brass mounts, cleaning, 526. 
Break, body, roof and skeleton, 

85- 
Breaking-cart, cost and weight. 

85. 
Breaking-out, after grooming, 

511. 
Breast-cloth, 298. 
Breast-collar, 180. 



Breast-plate, 194. 
Breeches, 348. 

Care of, 529. 

Cost, 356. 
Breeches paste, 

Cost, 20. 

Use of, 529. 
Breeches-trees, 

Cost, 356. 

Use of, 529. 
Breeching, 190. 

Adjusting, 496. 
Breeching-strap, 191, 

Adjusting, 496. 
Breeders, 148. 
Bridle, 

Adjusting, 489, 492. 

Driving, 169. 

of carriage pole, 78. 

Riding, 241, 243, 247, 573. 
Bridoon, 

Plain, 262, 271. 

Pulley, 262. 
Bridoon-head, 241. 
Brisket, 100, 104. 
Broken knee, down, wind, 117. 
Brooms, cost, 20. 
Brougham, 

Appointments, 86, 87. 

Cost and weight, 85. 

Origin, 94. 
Brougham harness, 

Appointments, 202, 203. 

Saddle of, 187. 
Brougham horse, 128. 
Brow-band, 170. 
Brown 

Horse, 113. 

Leather, 166, 524. 
Bruised oats, 398, 399. 
Bruises, 116. 
Brush, 

Body, 20, 304. 



614 



BRUSH— CHEEK-PIECE. 



i 



Brush, 

Care of, 387. 

Dandy, 20, 304. 

Use of, 427. 

Water, 20, 304. 
Brushing, interfering, no. 
Buckle, 

Bar, 226. 

of saddle-girths, 237. 

of riding bridles, 241. 

of stirrup leathers, 226. 

Single and double, horse- 
shoe and square, 165. 

Trace, 184, 185. 
Buggy, 

Appointments, 89, 90. 

Cost and weight, 85. 
Burnisher, 

Cost, 20. 

Use of, 521. 
Burrs, 266. 
Bus (see Omnibus). 
Bushel, dimensions of, 398, 400. 
Buttons, livery, 341. 
Button-plate, 

Cost, 21. 

Use of, 528. 
Buxton bit, 260. 
Buying 

Carriages, 81. 

Harness. 216. 

Horses, 153. 

Horse clothing, 294. 

Livery, 339. 

"C" SPRING, 70. 

Victoria, 86. 
Cabriolet, 

Cost and weight, 85. 

Horse for, 132. 

Origin, 97. 
Calf-knees, 105. 



Calkings, 447. 

Boot for, 306. 
Camphor for carriages, 513. 
Cantle, 218. 

Canon bone, 100, 105, 107. 
Canons of bit, 250. 
Cantering, 458. 
Care of 

harness and saddles, 523. 

horses after work, 510. 
Carriages, 

Chap. V, 62. 

Appointments, 86. 

Care of, 512. 

Cost and weight, 85. 

Type of horse for, 123. 

Varieties, 85. 

Washing, 514. 
Carriage house (see Coach house), 

Carriage lamps, care of, 518. 
Carriage robes, 286. 

Care of, 529. 

Cost, 312. 
Carrots, 405. 

Cost. 21. 
Carts, y^i^ 85. 
Cataract, 117. 
Centre-piece, 104. 
Chaff, 394. 
Chamois. 

Bandages, 432. 

Black, 20. 

Buying, 305. 

Dry, 20, 305. 

Oil-tanned, 20, 
Chapes. 169. 
Check bits, 263. 
Cheek-piece 

of bridle, 169, 174. 

of bit. 250-254. 

Leather, 266. 



CHESTNUT— CONDITION. 



61o 



Chestnut horse, 113. 
Chifney bit, 270. 
Children's pony, 135. 
Chill, 511, 533. 
Chin groove, 100. 
Choice of 

a horse, 121. 

a carriage, 81. 
Chute, hay and grain, 59. 
Cleaning 

Bridle, 427. 

Carriages, 514. 

Harness, 523. 

Saddles, 523. 

Stable, 375. 

Stalls, 3""i, 375. 

Steels, 521. 
Cleaning-room, 44. 
Cleanliness, 375. 
Clenches, 445, 449. 
Clip 

of hame-tug, 184. 

of horse's shoe, 447. 
Clipping, 471. 

Machine, 472. 
Clothing, 

Care of, 385. 

Cost, 312. 

Fitting, 290. 

Horse, 291. 

Use of, 419. 

Weight. 419. 
Club stables, 8. 

Charges at, 25. 
Coach 

Appointments, 91. 

Cost and weight, 85. 

Dimensions, 96. 

Harness for, 211. 

Horses for, 132. 
Coach builders, 64. 
Coach horn, 91, 281, 312. 



Coach house, 36. 
Coaching 

Bit, 260. 

Whip, 277. 
Coachmen, 

Chap. Xn, 313. 

Education of, 315. 

Livery for, 338. 

Means of obtaining, 327. 

References, 328. 

Types, 322. 

Wages, 20, 323-326, 332. 
Coats (see Grooming and Livery). 
coats-of-arms, 1 3. 
Cockades, 353. 
Cold, 539. 
Colic, 

Flatulent, 536. 

Spasmodic, 535. 
Color of 

Harness, 166. 

Horses, iii. 

Livery, 340. 
Collars, 

Adjusting, 492. 

Breast, 180. 

Finish, 179. 

Fitting, 181. 

For the livery, 344, 352. 

Hame, 177. 

Head, 300. 

Kay, 177. 

Pipe or throat, 178. 

Shape, 179. 

Straw, 180. 
Collet, 67. 
CoLLiNGE axle, 67. 
Combs, 301, 464. 

Cost, 20. 
Composition harness, 

Cost, 20. 

Use of, 523. 
Condition, 455. 



616 



CONDITIONING — DRA UGHT. 



Conditioning, 452. 
Conformation, 100-108. 
Construction 

of carriages, 65, 75. 

of stables, 26. 
Coolers, 298. 

Cost, 312. 

Use of, 511. 
Corn meal, 407. 
Corns, 117. 
Coronet, 100. 
Cost (see Expenses). 
Cough, 117. 

Countersunk nail-holes, 448. 
Coupling-rein, 195. 

Adjusting, 498. 
Coupling-ring, 195, 498. 
Cow-hocked, 107. 
Crab, 498. 

Cracked heels, 116, 430. 
Cradle, 308. 
Cravats (see Scarfs). 
Cream, Meltonian, 
• Cost, 20. 

Use of, 524. 
Crest, 

Heraldic, 13-15. 

of horse, 100, 103. 
Crest-brushes, 

Cost, 20. 

Use of, 526. 
Cribbing, 117. 
Cross-matched, 114. 
Cross spring, 70. 
Croup, 100, 104. 
Crown-piece, 169. 
Crupper, 189. 
Crupper-strap. 189. 
Curb-chain, 265, 272. 

Adjusting, 484. 
Curbs, 107, 117. 
Curricle, 

Cost and weight, 85. 



Curricle, 

Origin, 97. 
Currycomb, 301. 

Cost, 20. 

Use of, 427, 
Cushion tires, 80. 
Cutting (see Interfering). 

"D" SLIDE, 67. 
Dampness, effect of, 32. 
Dandy-brush, 

Care of, 387. 

Cost, 20. 

Use of, 427. 
Dappled, 113. 
Day clothing, 294. 

Cost, 20. 

Use of, 419. 

Weight, 294-296. 
Dealers in horses, 147. 
Decoration of stable, 381. 
Defects and blemishes, 116. 
Demi-mail phaeton. 

Appointments, 88. 

Cost and weight, 85. 

Harness for, 207. 
Design of carriages, 74. 
Diet, horse's, 410. 
Dishing, iio. 
Disinfectant, 20, 375. 
E>istance, 507. 
Dock, 100, 105. 
Docking, 469. 
Doors, 52. 

Douche, cold water, 438. 
Drag, 96. 
Drainage, 30. 
Drains, 

Cleaning, 375. 

Stall, 31. 
Draught, 73, 123. 

of hames, 182. 



DRA UGHT-REINS — FODDER. 



617 



Draught-reins, 195. 

Adjusting, 498. 
Drenching, 540. 
Dress blankets, 290. 

Cost, 311. 
Dress clothing, 290. 

Cost, 311. 
Dressing, 421. 
Driving, 501. 

Books on, 506. 

For Women, 561. 

Hints, 542. 
Drugs, misuse of, 423. 
Drying a horse, 510. 
Dumb jockey, 458. 
Dummy coats, 352. 
Dun, 113. 

Ears, 102. 

Protection of, 465. 
Economy, 23, 24, 376. 
Elbow, 105. 
Elbow-bits, 260. 
Elliptic spring, 70. 
Enamelled leather, 162. 

Care of, 524. 
Epaulets, 353. 
Exercising, 460. 

Clothing for, 297. 
Exhibiting, 595. 

Driving classes, 600. 

Hunters, 606. 

Saddle-horses, 605. 

Show-ring driving, 602. 
Expenses, 

Chap. HI, 17. 

Fodder and bedding, 21. 

Fluctuating items, 17. 

Initial cost, 22. 

Means of economizing, 23. 

of stable requisites, 19. 

Running, 21, 23. 



Eyes, 102. 

Protection of, 465. 

Face-piece, 169, 170. 
Fancy matched, 114. 
Farcy, 117. 
Farmers' satin, 345. 
Farriers, charges of, 440. 
Fashion, ii, 12. 
Fastening the horse, 421. 
Feather duster. 

Choice of, 513. 

Cost, 20. 

Use o!, 513. 
Feeding, 410. 
Feet, 100, 105, 107. 

Stopping the, 431. 
Ferrule, 275, 
Fetlock, 100. 
Fetlock joint, 100, 106. 
Fillet cord, 297. 

Straps, 194. 
Finger draught, 183. 
Fired, 116. 
Fittings, 36, 58. 

Brackets, etc., 39-45. 

Metal, 56. 
Flank, 100. 

Flannel bandages, 433. 
Flap 

of harness saddle, 185, 186 

of riding saddle, 218, 224. 
Flatulent colic, 536. 
Fleabitten, 113. 
Floors 

of coach house, 36. 

of harness room, 39. 

of stall, 47. 

of wash-stand, 39. 
Fly screens, 55. 
Fodder, 

Chap. XV, 389. 

Bran, 401. 



618 



FODDER — GREA T- CO A TS. 



Fodder, 

Beans, 404. 

Carrots, 405. 

Corn meal, 407. 

Cost, 21. 

Grass, 406. 

Hay, 391. 

H. O., 403. 

Linseed, 404. 

Malt, 405. 

Oatmeal, 403. 

Oats, 395. 

Oil cake, 405. 

Salt, 408. 

Shorts, 401. 

Turnips, 406. 

Weights and measures, 417. 
Footman, duties of, 87, 504. 
Footman's livery (house), 347. 
Fore-arm, 100, 105. 

-head, 100, 102. 

-leg, 105. 

-shoes, 447. 
Forks, 310. 

Cost, 20. 
Four-in-hand, 

Driving, 555. 

Harness, 211. 

Horses, 132. 

Putting-to, 500. 

Reins, 501. 

Whip, 277, 312. 
French tug. 187. 
Fresh air, 28, 378. 
Frog 

of harness, 170. 

of horse's foot, 108, 445. 
Fronts 

for harness, 170. 

for riding bridles, 242. 
Fuchells, 66. 
Fuel, cost of, 21, 334. 
Fullered shoes, 448. 



Furniture, 

Care of, 526. 

of harness, 164. 

of saddles, 219, 226. 

Gag snaffle, 267. 
Galls, 512. 
Game cart, 

Cost and weight, 85. 

Harness for, 207. 
Gammon and backgammon, 91. 
Gaskin, 100. 
Geldings, 118. 
Gig, 

Appointments, 206. 

Cost and weight, 85. 

Origin, 97. 
Gig bit, 262 
Gig harness, 206. 
Girth harness, 186. 

Care of, 525. 

Saddle, 237, 247. 
Girth-tugs, 218, 225. 
GiRTHiNG-up, 490. 
Glanders, 117. 
Gloves, 354. 

Care of, 528. 

Cost, 356. 
GoiNG-TO-covERT cart, cost and 

weight, 85. 
Good taste. Chap. H, 10. 
Governess cart, cost and weight, 

85. 
Grain bin, 59. 

Chute, 59. 

Loft, 59. 
Grass, 406. 
Gray, 112. 
Grease, 116. 
Great-coats, 

Care of, 527. 

Coachman's, 341. 



GREAT- COATS— BEAD- COLLAR. 



619 



Great-coats, 

Cost, 356. 

Groom's, 343. 
Green fodder, 405. 
Gridiron, 252. 

Grooming, 422. 

Amount of, 424. 

Order and method of, 426. 

Signs of bad, 422. 

Time for, 424. 

Time required, 425. 
Grooming articles, 301. 

Care of, 387, 431. 

Cost, 21. 
Grooms, 

Duties of, 87, 504. 

Head, 322. 

Hunting, 322. 

Pad, 321. 

Personal appearance, 320. 

Training, 322. 

Wages, 322-327. 
Gruel, 403. 
Gullet-plate, 218, 225. 

Hack, 140. 
Halter-shank, 301. 

Cost, 19, 312. 

Care of, 385. 

Fastening, 421. 
Hame, 

Chain, draft, strap, terret, 
178. 183. 

Tug, 178, 184. 
Hames, 164, 178, 182. 

Adjusting, 493. 
Hand, a, 117. 
Hand-clipper, 472. 
Hand rubbing, 438. 
Hanovarian bit, 262. 
Hansom, 

Cost and weight, 85. 



Hansom, 

Harness for, 207. 

Horse for, 131. 

Origin, 98. 
Hard water, 408. 
Harness, 

Chap. VHI, 161. 

Appointments, 202. 

Care of, 523, 526. 

Character, 163. 

Color, 166. 

Cost, 216. 

Fitting, 167. 

Furniture, 164. 

Parts of, 167. 

Quality, 162. 

Stitching, 167. 

Style, 167. 

Types, 202. 

Weight, 167. 
Harness brackets, 39-43. 

Hook, 45. 

Pegs, 47. 
Harness punch, 491. 
Harness-room, 38. 
Harnessing, 490. 
Hats, 

Cost, 356. 

Livery, 351, 353. 
Hay, 391. 

Age, 392. 

Cost, 21, 395. 

Quality, 391. 

Quantity, 393. 

Weight, 395, 417. 

Weights and measures, 417. 
Hay chute, 59. 

Loft, 59. 

Racks, 56. 
Head, 100, 102. 
Head-collar, 300. 

Care of, 385. 



620 



BEAD- COLLAR — HORSE. 



Head-collar, 

Cost, 19, 311. 

Use of, 421. 
Head groom and lad, ^22. 
Headstall, 241. 
Heating, 34. 
Heel-post, 48. 
Heels, formation of, 108. 
Heraldry, 12. 
Hind leg, 106. 

Shoes, 447. 
H. O., 403. 
Hock, 100, 106. 

Action, no. 
Hogging the mane, 466. 
Holster, 239. 

Hooded gig, cost and weight, 85. 
Hoods, 298. 

Cost, 20. 
Hoof, 100, 107, 445. 

Dressing, 429. 

Pick, 20. 
Hook, 

Carriage and coach pole, 78. 

for forks, etc., 371. 

for pole chains, 198. 

Harness, 45. 
Horn, 

Coach, 91, 281. 

Cost, 311. 

Hunting, 286. 

Tandem, 284. 
Horn case and basket, 91, 93. 
Horse, 

Action, 109. 

Age, 114. 

Barouche, 131. 

Brougham, 128. 

Buying, 153. 

Cabriolet, 132. 

Carriage, 123. 

Children's pony, 135. 

Choice of. Chap. VH, 121. 



Horse, 

Coach, 132. 

Color, III, 

Constitution, 128. 

Dealers, 147. 

Defects and blemishes, 116. 

Hack, 140. 

Hansom, 131, 

Heavy Harness, 600. 

Hunter, 141, 606. 

Mail phaeton, 131. 

Manners, 119. 

Measuring, 117. 

Pair, a, 128. 

Points of. Chap. VI, 99. 

Polo pony, 145. 

Quality, 108. 

Roadster, 134. 

Run-about, 132. 

Saddle, 135, 562, 572. 

Single, 126. 

Stallions, mares and geld- 
ings, 118. 

Stanhope, 130. 

T-cart, 130. 

Temperament, 128. 

Types of, 123. 

Victoria, 130. 
Horse clothing, 294. 

Blankets, 295. 

Breast cloth, 298. 

Care of, 385. 

Coolers, 298. 

Cost, 21, 312. 

Dress, 291, 297. 

Exercising, 297. 

Hoods, 298. 

Knee-boots, 298. 

Measuring, 291. 

Pad cloth, 297. 

Quality, 294. 

Quarter, 291. 

Roller, 297. 



HORSE — LIGHT. 



621 



Horse clothing, 

Roller cloth, 298. 

Rugs, 295. 

Shape and make, 294. 

Sheets, 295. 

Surcingle, 297. 

Use of, 419. 

Weight, 420, 
Horse dealers, 147. 
Horse shows, 2. 
Hose bracket, 21, 39. 
Housings, 188. 
Hunters, 141, 585. 

Classes for, 143. 

Green, 144. 

Heavy weight, 144, 145. 

Light weight, 144, 145. 

Middle weight, 144, 145. 

Qualified, 144. 
Hunting, 585. 

• Books on, 506. 
Hunting horn, 286. 

Cost, 312. 

Injuries, 116, 117, 511. 
Insurance, 60. 
Interfering, iio, 116, 117. 
Interior divisions of stables, 35. 

Jam nut, 68. 

Jaunting car, cost and weight, 

85. 

Kay collar, 177. 
Keepers, harness, 167. 
Kersey, 295. 
Kicking, 117. 
Kicking-strap, 191. 

Adjusting, 496. 
Kidney-link, 164, 183. 
Kidney-link ring, 164. 

Adjustiiig, 4Q8. 
Knee, 100, 105, 106. 



Knee action, 109. 
Knee cap or boot, 298. 
Knee pad of saddle, 218, 222. 

Lady, 

Heraldic insignia of, 15. 
Management of the stable 

by, 7- 
Lady's 

Phaeton, 85. 

and harness for, 208. 

Saddle, 228. 

Saddle horse, 138. 

Stirrup, 232. 
Lameness, 116, 536. 
Laminitis, 117. 
Lamps, for carriage, care of 518. 

Landau, 

Cost and weight, 85. 

Harness, 207. 
Langet, 78. 
Lash (see Thong), 276. 
Latches, 58. 
Lazy-backs, 91. 
Lead-bars, 91, 96. 
Leaping-head, 230, 233. 
Leather, 

Care of, 517, 523. 

Quality, 162. 

Texture, 523. 
Leather punch, 491. 

Cost, 20. 
Leathers (see Breeches), 348. 
Leaves, 413. 
Legs, too, 105, 106, no. 

Lotions for, 435, 438. 

Washing, 429. 
Leggins, 351. 

Cost, 356. 
Light, q.'j. 

Allowance for, 334. 

Artificial, 27, 336. 



622 



LINCHPIN— ME GRIMS. 



Linchpin, 68. 

Linen bandages, 434. 

Linseed, 404. 

Linseed oil for removing stains, 

517. 
Lip-strap, 271, 

Loop, 250. 
Lips, 102. 

Litter (see Bedding), 411. 
Liverpool bit, 256, 259. 
Livery, 

Chap. XIII, p. 338. 

Boots, 350. 

Breeches, 348. 

Buttons, 341. 

Care of, 527. 

Coats, 341-347- 

Cockades, 353. 

Collars, 344, 352. 

Color, 340. 

Cost, 356. 

Epaulets, 353. 

Ftirs, 355. 

Gloves, 354. 

Hats, 351, 353. 

Mackintosh, 354. 

Makers, 339. 

Material, 340. 

Putting on, 494. 

Scarfs, 352. 

Stable clothes, 351. 

Trousers, 350. 
Location of stables, 26, 27. 
Locks, 58. 

Loft, hay and grain, 59. 
Loins, 100, 104. 

Lotions 

for bandages. 435. 

for sore shoulders and backs, 

5TI. 

Louvre boards, 29. 



Mackintosh coverings, 

Care of, 529. 

Cost, 311, 356. 

for horses, 288. 

Livery, 354. 
Mail axle, 68. 
Mail phaeton. 

Appointments, 88. 

Cost and weight, 85. 

Harness for, 207. 

Horses for, 131. 
Main bar, 91, 96. 
Malt, 405. 
Management of the stable. Chap. 

XIV, 358. 
Mane, 

Brush, 302, 304. 

Brushing, 429. 

Comb, 301, 302. 

Layer, 466. 

Pulling, 465. 

Washing, 429. 
Mange, 117. 
Mangel-wurzels, 406. 
Mangers, 56, 57. 
Manners, 119. 
Manure fork, 414, 415. 
Mares, 118. 
Mark in teeth, 115. 
Marks of color, 114. 
Martingale, 

Adjusting, 489, 492. 

Cost, 249. 

for harness, 194. 

for saddles, 244. 
Mashes, 401, 404. 
Mats, 381-384. 
Measures, 417. 
Measuring 

for harness, 168. 

for saddles, 221. 

Horses, 117. 
Megrims, 117. 



METAL — O WNER. 



623 



Metal, 

Care of, 58, 387, 524. 

Fittings, 58. 
Metal work. 

Care of, 518, 526. 

on carriages, '/'j. 
Milk teeth, 115. 
Mohawk bit, 271. 
Monograms, 165. 
Moon plate, 68. 
Motto, 15. 
Mouthing, 455. 
Mouthing bit, 273. 
Mouth-piece, 250-252. 

Coverings for, 252. 
Mud fever, 116. 
Muzzle 

for grooming, 426. 

of leather, 416. 

Nails 

for horsehoes, 448. 

Location of, 449. 
Nail-holes in horseshoes, 448. 
Nave, 66. 
Navicular, 117. 
Near side (see Ofif side), 448. 
Neat's-foot oil, 

Cost, 20. 

Use of, 517. 
Neck, 100, 103. 
Neck-yoke, 76, 79, 80. 
Neck-yoke straps, 197. 

Adjusting, 498. 
Net for pullers, 272. 
Newmarket tug, 185. 
Nib, 71. 
Night clothing, 296. 

Cost, 19, 312. 

Use of, 420. 

Weight, 420. 
Nose, 100, 102. 



Noseband, 169, 176. 

Independent, 272. 
Nostrils, 100, 102. 
Numnah, 237, 239. 

Care of, 524. 

Cost, 247. 



Nut, 



Axle, 67. 
Jam, 68. 
Set, 68. 



Oats, 395. 

Age, 396. 

Bruised, 398. 

Cost, 21, 400. 

Crushed, 398. 

Quality, 395. 

Quantity, 397. 

Weight, 399. 

Weights and measures, 417. 
Oatmeal, 403. 
Off side, 448. 
Oil, 

Castor, 520. 

Linseed, 512, 534, 540. 

Neat's-foot, 20, 29, 517. 
Oil cake, 405. 
Oil cup, 68. 
Oiling axles, 68, 518. 
Omnibus, 

Cost and weight, 85. 

Harness for, 207. 
Ophthalmia, 117. 
Order, 374. 
Organic diseases, 117. 
Original expenses, 22. 
Ostlers, 322. 
Over-in-the-knees, 105. 
Owner, 

as master, 6, 314. 358, 364. 

Duties of, 334, 363- 

Effect of indifference, 5. 

Influence of, 3. 



624 



PAD — PRIVATE. 



Pad of harness, 185, 186, 188. 
Pad-groom, 327. 

Livery for, 343. 
Pad-girth, 185-187. 
Pad-terret, 186. 
Paddling, iio. 
Paddock, 60. 
Pails, 20. 
Painting 

Carriages, ^2. 

Stable fittings, 56. 
Pair, a, 128. 
Panel-boot victoria, 

Appointments, 87, 174, \\ 

Cost and weight, 86. 
Pannel, 218, 221, 223. 
Park-gate gig. 

Appointments, 206. 

Cost and weight, 85. 

Passageway behind stahs, 52. 
Paste-saddle, 

Cost, 20. 

Use of, 524. 
Pastern, 100, 106, 107. 
Pasturing, 474. 
Patent leather, 162. 

Care of, 524. 
Pavements for stables, 36-39. 
Peat moss, 412. 
Pelham bit, 269. 
Perch, 66. 

Bolt, 67. 
Phaeton, 

Appointments, 88. 

Cost and weight, 85. 

Harness for, 208. 

Origin, 95. 
Physic, 453. 
Piebald, 113. 
Pillar-reins, 

Cost, 20. 

Use of, 426. 



PiLLiKiNS, 381. 
Pin, 

Blanket, 420. 

Linch, 68. 
Pipe clay, 20, 525. 
Pipe-collar, 178. 
Plaits, 381. 
Plan of stables, 35. 
Plate for buttons. 

Cost, 21. 

Use of, 528. 
Plate powder. 

Cost, 20. 

Use of, 526, 528. 
Platform spring, 70. 
Pneumatic tires, 80. 
Point pocket, 218. 
Points for whips, 276. 

Renewing, 527. 
Points of the horse, Chap. VI, 99. 
Pole for carriage, jy. 

Care of, 513. 
Pole-chain, 79, 197. 

Adjusting, 497. 
Pole-end, 78. 
Pole-hook, 78. 
Pole-pieces, 79, 196. 

Adjusting, 497. 
Pole-top, 78. 
Poll, 100. 
Polo, books on, 506. 
Polo pony, 145. 
Pommel, 218. 
Pony, 

Children's, 135. 

Polo, 145. 
Port, 250. 
Private coach (see Coach), 

Appointments, 91. 

Cost and weight, 85. 

Dimensions, 96. 

Harness for, 211. 

Horses for, 132. 



PULLE V— R UN-AB O U2 \ 



625 



Pulley bridoon, 263. 
Pulse, 532. 

PuNXH, leather, 20, 491. 
Purchase of 

Carriages, 81. 

Harness, 216. 

Horses, 153. 

Livery, 339. 
Push-broom, 20. 
"PuTTiNG-TO," 495. 

Quality in horses, 108. 
Quarter blankets, 291. 

Cost, 311. 
Quittor, 117. 

Rabbit-bitten, 275. 
Race, 114. 
Racks for 

Robes, 43. 

Saddle, 43. 

Whip, 43. 
Rasping the hoof, 450. 
Rawhide whip, 274. 
Rearing, 117. 
Records, 609. 

References of servants, 328. 
Reins, 

Adjusting, 493. 498. 

for harness, 195. 

for riding, 243. 

Method of holding 500, 501, 
502. 
Removal of old shoes, 445. 
Renewals, 21, 22. 
Rental of stables, 21. 
Repairs, 21, 22. 
Rheumatism, 117. 
Ribs, 100, 104. 
Riding, 

Bits, 267. 

Books on, 506. 

Bridles, 241, 243. 247. 

For Men. 572. 



Riding, 

For Women, 561, 

Saddles, 217, 228. 

Whips, 279, 312. 
Ringbone, 117. 
Road coach (see Coach), 

Cost and weight 85. 

Harness for, 211. 

Horses for, 132. 
Road wagon. 

Appointments, 89. 

Cost and weight, 85. 

Harness for, 214. 

Horses for, 134. 
Roadster, 134. 
Roan, 113. 
Roaring, 117. 
Robes, 286. 

Care of, 529. 

Cost of, 312. 
RocKAWAY, cost and weight, 85. 
Roller, 295, 297. 

Cost, 20. 

Use of, 428. 
Roller bolts, 66. 
Roller cloth, 298. 
Rosettes, 173. 
Roughing of shoes, 447. 
Rowel 236. 
Rubber apron, 20. 
Rubber boots, 20. 
Rubber tires, 80. 
Rubbing cloths, 304. 

Care of, 387. 

Cost, 20. 

Use of, 511. 
Rugs, 295. 

Cost, 312. 
Run-about, 

Appointments, 89. 

Cost and weight, 86. 

Harness for, 205. 

Horse for, 132. 



626 



RUNNING — SHOES. 



Running expenses, 21, 23. 
Running martingale, 244. 
Ruptures, 117. 
Rye straw, 412. 

Saddle for harness, 185. 
Saddle for riding, 217. 

Appurtenances, 239. 

Care of, 524. 

Color, 219. 

Construction, 224. 

Cost, 247. 

Fitting, 221. 

Furniture, 219. 

Girths, 237. 

Leather, 219. 

Man's, 573. 

Measuring, 221. 

Parts of, 218. 

Size, 221, 

Shape, 222. 

Stirrups, 234. 

Stirrup-leathers, 226. 

Weight, 220, 233. 

Woman's, 228. 
Saddle-cloths, 237. 

Cost, 247. 
Saddle horses, 135, 562, 572. 
Saddle paste, 20. 
Saddle soap, use of, 524. 
Saddling, 488. 
Salt, 408. 
Sand crack, 116. 
Sand for burnishing, 521. - 
Sawdust, 413. 
Scarfs, 352. 

Cost, 356. 
Scars, 116. 
Scouring 

Horses, 455. 

Steels, 521. 



Scrapers, 303, 306. 

Cost, 20. 

Use of, 510. 
Scroll, draught, 182, 183. 
Sedatives, 534. 
Servants, stable, 

Chap. XII, 313. 

Accommodations for, 60. 

Board, 332, 370. 

Boys, 327. 

Character, 316, 358. 

Coachmen, 316. 

Discharging, 367. 

Duties of, 316, 325, 358. 

Engaging, 329. 

Grooms, 326. 

Manners, 365. 

Means of obtaining, 327. 

Pad-groom, 321. 

Personal appearance, 321, 

365. 

References, 329. 

Time ofif, 368. 

Types, 322. 

Wages, 21,323-327, 331. 
Shafts, 76. 
Shavings, 412. 
Sheath, 100. 

Cleaning, 430. 
Sheets, 295. 

Care of, 385. 

Cost, 20, 312. 

Use of, 419. 

Weight of, 420. 
Shield 

for buttons, 528. 

for monograms, 526. 

Heraldic, 14. 
Shoes, 116, 439. 

Anti-slipping, 450. 

Applying, 449. 

Calkings, 447. 

Clenches, 445, 449. 



SHOES— STABLES. 



627 



Shoes, 

Clips, 447. 

Cost, 21, 440. 

Length, 447. 

Means of detecting when 
loose, 429. 

Nails, 448. 

Nail-holes, 448. 

Preparing the hoof, 445. 

Rasping, 450. 

Removal of old shoes, 445. 

Reshoeing, 450. 

Weight, 446. 

Width, 447. 
Shorts, 401. 
Shoulder, 100, 104. 

Galls, 511. 
Shoulder knot, 344, 345. 
Sickle hocks, 107. 
Sickness (see Veterinary Notes). 
Side bones, 117. 
Side edges, 344. 
Side spring, 70. 
Sieve, 20. 

Silver, cleaning, 518, 526, 528. 
Silver sand, 20, 521. 
Singeing, 474. 
Singeing lamp, 474. 

Cost, 20. 
Site of stables, 32. 
Skeleton break, cost and weight, 

85- 
Skeleton, 919. 

Cost and weight, 85. 
Skewbald, 114. 
Skid, 92. 
Skin, 

Cleaning, 422. 

Color, 113. 
Skirt 

of harness, 185, 186, 188. 

of livery coats, 344. 

Riding saddles, 218. 



Sleigh bells, 199, 201, 
Snaffle bits, 

Adjusting, 484. 

Driving, 255. 

Riding, 267. 
Snip, 114. 
Soap, 

Castile, 20. 

Saddle, 524. 

Use of, 429, 430. 
Soft water, 408. 
Soiling, 453. 
Sole of foot, 108, 445. 
Sore back and shoulders, 511. 
Sorrel, 114. 
Soundness, Chap. VI, 99. 
Spasmodic coHc, 535. 
Spavin, 117. 
Speedy cutting, 116. 
Spider phaeton, 

Appointments, 88. 

Cost and weight, 85. 

Harness for, 207. 
Splint, 116, 117. 
Splinter bars, 76, 96. 
Sponges, 306. 

Care of, 387. 

Cost, 20. 
Sponge rack, 20, 38, 40. 
Spots, to remove from 

Carriages, 512, 517. 

Harness, 524. 

Livery, 528. 
Springs, 70, 71. 
Spring bars, 218, 219, 488. 

Care of, 524. 
Spurs, 236, 248. 
Stables, 

Chap. IV, 26. 

Accommodations for ser- 
vants, 60. 

Aspect, 32. 

Boxes, 51. 



628 



STABLES— STRAPPERS. 



Stables, 

Chutes, 59. 

Cleaning room, 44. 

Coach house, 36. 

Drainage, 30. 

Fly screens, 55. 

Harness room, 38. 

Hay and grain loft, 59. 

Hay racks, 56. 

Insurance, 60. 

Interior divisions, 35. 

Latches, 58. 

Light, 27, 366. 

Location, 26. 

Management, 358. 

Mangers, 56. 

Metal fittings, 58. 

Rental, 21. 

Site, 32. 

Stalls. 47. 

Ventilation, 28, 378. 

Water supply, 33. 

Windows, 39, 54. 
Stable clothes, 351. 

Cost, 356. 
Stable fittings, care of, 375. 
Stable management. 

Chap. XIV, 358. 

Authority, recognition of, 

363- 
Care of blankets, grooming 

articles, etc., and stable 

requisites, 385-387. 
Character of servants. 316, 

358. 
Cleanliness, 375. 
Discharging, 367. 
Economy. 376. 
Lights, 366. 
Manners, 365. 
Mats, 381. 
Meal hours, 365. 
Order, 374. 



Stable management. 

Plaits, 381. 

Pillikins, 381. 

Smoking, 366. 

System, 370. 

Temperature, 379. 

Time ofif, 368. 

Ventilation, 379. 
•Stable requisites. 

Care of, 385. 

List of, 19. 
Stable servants (see Servants), 313. 
Stalls, 47. 
Stall windows, 54. 
Stallions, 118. 
Standard, 117. 
Standing martingale, 194, 244. 

Adjusting, 489, 492. 
Stanhope phaeton. 

Appointments, 88. 

Cost and weight, 85. 

Harness for, 207. 

Horses for, 130. 

Origin, 95. 
Star, a, 114. 
Station omnibus. 

Cost and weight, 85. 

Harness for, 207. 
Steel burnisher, 

Cost, 20. 

Use of, 521, 
Steels, care of, 521. 
Steel case, 44. 
Stick basket, 92, 93. 
Stimulants, 533. 
Stirrups, 

Care of, 521. 

Men's, 234, 248. 

Women's, 232, 248. 
Stirrup leathers, 226, 247. 
Stopping the feet, 431. 
Stops, 243. 
Strappers, 322. 



STRAW— TUG-GIRTH. 



629 



Straw, 412, 

Cost, 21, 416. 

Weight and measure, 418. 
' Stringhalt, 117. 
Sundries, allowance for, 21. 
Surcingle, 297. 
Surrey, cost and weight, 86. 
Sweat, as an indication of condi- 
tion, 455. 
Sweat-flap, 218, 225. 

System, 370. 

T-cart, cost and weight, 86. 
Tail, 105. 

Brushing, 429. 

Docking, 469. 

Trimming, 467. 

Washing, 429. 
Tandem 

Bars, 499. 

Cart, 85. 

Driving. 555. 

Harness, 208. 

Horn, 284, 312. 

"Putting-to," 499. 

Reins, 250, 547. 

Whip, 277, 312. 
Teeth, 114. 
Temperature of 

Coach house, 379, 513. 

Harness room, 379. 

the horse, 532. 

the stable, 379. 
Tendons, 105. 
Theatre omnibus, cost and 

weight, 85. 
Thermometer, 

Clinical, 532. 

Registering, 379. 
Thick wind, 117. 
Thigh, too, 106. 
Thongs, 276. 

Care of, 527. 



Thoroughbreds, 124. 
TiioROUGHPiN, 117. 
Throat, 100, 103. 
Throat-collar, 178. 
Throat-latch, 169, 175. 

Adjusting, 289. 
Thrush, 108, 117. 
Tied in at the knees, 105. 
Tilbury, cost and weight, 86. 
Tires, 

Cushion, 80. 

Pneumatic, 80. 

Rubber, 81. 
Top-boots, 350. 

Cost, 356. 
Torse, 16. 

Total expenses, table of, 21, 22. 
Traces, 191. 

Adjusting, 495, 497. 

Four-in-hand, 501. 

Tandem, 499. 
Trace bearers, 193. 
Trace-buckle, 178, 185. 
Trace-girth, 186. 
Trace-loops, 192. 
Traction, "jt,. 
Trees for 

Boots, 21, 356. 

Breeches, 358, 529. 

of saddles, 218, 221. 
Trimming, 463, 467. 
Trimming scissors, 463, 467. 

Combs, 464, 465. 

Cost, 20. 
Trousers, 

Cost, 356. 

Livery, 350. 
Tug, 186, 187. 

English, 188. 

French, 187. 

Newmarket, 185. 

Tilbury, 188. 
Tug-girth, 186, 187. 



630 



TUG-STRAP— WHITE CHAPEL. 



^\ 



Tug-strap, 185, 186, 187. 

Turf, 413. 

Turning out, 474. 

Turnips, 406. 

Tushes, 115. 

Tying the horse, 421. 

Under-carriage, 66. 
Unharnessing, 508. 
Unnerved, 117. 
Unsaddling, 508. 
Unsoundness, 115, 117. 
Use of a carriage, 506. 

Valencia, 347. 
Values of horses, 152. 
Varnish, yy, 512. 
Ventilation, 28, 378. 
Veterinary notes, Chap. XIX, 

531. 
Vicious horses, 117, 427. 
Victoria, 

Appointments, 87. 

Cost and weight, 86. 

Harness for, 187, 203. 

Horses for, 130. 

Origin, 94. 

Panel-boot, 86. 
Village cart, cost and weight, 85. 

Wages of stable servants, 21, 323- 

327. 
Wagonette, 

Cost and weight, 86. 

Harness for, 207. 

Origin, 95. 
Waistcoats, 347. 
Walking, exercise, to cool, 510. 
Washers, 519. 
Washing. 

Carriages, 514. 

Legs, 429. 

Mane, 429. 



Washing, 

Sheath, 430. 
Tail, 429. 
Wash-stand, 38. 
Water 

Douche, 438. 
Hard, 408. 
Quality, 408. 
Quantity, 409. 
Soft, 408. 

Supplies, hot and cold, 33. 
Temperature, 409. 
Watering, 410. 
Water-brush, 

Care of, 387. 
Cost, 20. 
Use of, 428. 
Water pails, care of, 386. 
Waterproof coverings, 
Cost, 312. 
for horses, 288. 
for livery, 354. 
Weaving, 117. 
Weights and measures, table of, 

417. 
Weymouth bit, 269. 
Whalebone whip, 274. 

Cost, 312. 
Wheel-jack, 
Cost, 20. 
Use of, 515. 
Wheel wrench, 520. 
Wheels, 66. 
Whiffle-tree, 76. 
Whips, 274. 

Care of, 527. 
Cost, 312. 
Driving, 274. 
Riding, 279. 
Whipcord livery, 351. 
White horses, 112. 
Whitechapel cart, cost and 
weight, 85. 



WIND-BR OKEN — WRINGER. 



631 



Wind-broken, 117. 
Windpipe, 100, 103. 
Windows, 

Care of carriage, 518. 

Location of stall, 54. 

Stable, 29. 
Winkers, 169, 175. 

Adjusting, 493. 



Winker-stays, 169, 175. 

Wintering, 477. 

Withers, 100, 104. 

Work for horses, 452, 460, 507. 

Worms, 539. 

Wounds, 511. 

Wrenches for wheels, 520. 

Wringer for chamois, 20, 40. 



First- Hand Bits of Stable Lore 

By FRANCIS M. IV A R E 

Illustrated from Photogmphs. Croxcn octavo. S2.00 net. 



THIS is a practical work which every horse owner should 
have. The author is well known as the manager of the 
American Horse Exchange, New York, and has been identi- 
fied with the leading horse-show organizations throughout 
the country. The chapters epitomize thirty years' active, 
personal experience with every kind of a horse for every 
conceivable purpose, and the deductions are drawn in no 
sense theoretical. 



C0nt^nts 



PURCHASE AND PRELIMINARIES. 

AS TO "SOUNDNESS." 

STABLING AND STABLES. 

STABLE MANAGEMENT. 

CONDITION AND CONDITIONING. 

THE "GREEN" OR UNACCLIMATED HORSE AND 

HIS CARE. 
THE HORSE'S EDUCATION. 
MOUTHS AND MANNERS. 
THE FOOT AND ITS TREATMENT. 
THE APPOINTMENT FAD. 
THE SADDLE-HORSE. 
THE HUNTER AND HIS EDUCATION. 
THE STEEPLECHASER AND HIS SCHOOLING. 
RIDING FOR BEGINNERS. 
FOUR-IN-HAND DRIVING. 
COACHING AND ITS ACCOMPANIMENTS. 
MANAGEMENT OF A PACK OF HOUNDS. 
SHOWING HORSES. 



LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS, 254 WASHINGTON ST., BOSTON 



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